TGF-BETA-1 AND TGF-BETA-2 CONCENTRATIONS ARE ELEVATED IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE IN VENTRICULAR CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID

Transforming growth factor (TGF)beta plays a role in injury repair in sites surrounding brain injury. The present study tested the hypothesi s that TGF beta 1 and TGF beta 2 levels in the postmortem CSF of patie nts with neurodegenerative disorders would be elevated compared to tho se in normal subjects. Free TGF beta 1 and total TGF beta 2 were measu red by ELISA in postmortem ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (vCSF) of p atients with Parkinson's disease (n = 30), Alzheimer's disease (n = 30 ), multiple sclerosis (n = 15), and schizophrenia (n = 12) and of norm al controls (n = 16). In addition, albumin, IgG, and total protein in vCSF were measured. Both TGF beta 1 and TGF beta 2 were significantly different between groups (P < 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively). Park inson's disease vCSF showed significant increases in both TGF beta 1 ( P = 0.015) and TGF beta 2 (P = 0.012) compared to normal controls. The re was a trend for TGF beta 2 to be elevated in Alzheimer's disease an d multiple sclerosis vCSFs, which failed to achieve significance. Ther e were no differences between controls and schizophrenics in TGF beta 1 or TGF beta 2. Alzheimer's disease vCSF showed a significant decreas e in protein compared to all other groups, which was not related to bl ood-brain barrier permeability, age, or autolysis differences. Evidenc e is presented suggesting that some TGF beta 1 may leak into the vCSF from plasma, Autopsy vCSF levels of TGF beta isoforms were found to be distinctly different from those reported for human serum, especially for TGF beta 2, which is undetectable in plasma. These results indicat e that further in vivo studies of TGF beta 2 in the CSF of Parkinson's disease patients are warranted to determine the relationship between clinical status, medication, and TGF beta 2 concentrations. (C) 1996 A cademic Press, Inc.