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Patel H, Wisely CE, Robbins CB, Parker D, Challa P, Grewal DS, Fekrat S. Aqueous and Plasma Levels of Phosphorylated Tau 181 in Individuals with Normal Cognition. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 100:239-245. [PMID: 38848189 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Background Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of p-tau181 have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The retina and vitreous have shown measurable quantities of phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181). The aqueous humor, which can be collected during cataract surgery, may have measurable concentrations of p-tau181. Objective To determine whether p-tau181 is detectable in the aqueous humor and if so, whether it is associated with other measures that might be consistent with AD such as higher plasma p-tau181 concentration and lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-BLIND version 7.1) score. Methods Aqueous humor samples, blood samples, and MoCA-BLIND scores were collected from patients who did not carry a clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment at the time of cataract surgery. Aqueous p-tau181 concentrations and plasma p-tau181 concentrations were then measured using ultra-sensitive single-molecule assay ELISA technology. A rank-transformed mixed-effects multivariate regression model was used to determine associations between aqueous concentrations, plasma concentrations, and MoCA-BLIND scores. Results 16 eyes of 16 participants were enrolled with an average age of 71.6. Average MoCA-BLIND score was 20.6/22, average aqueous p-tau181 concentration was 6.4 pg/mL, and average plasma p-tau181 concentration was 3.1 pg/mL. Higher plasma p-tau181 was significantly associated with higher aqueous p-tau181 (p = 0.02). Aqueous p-tau181 and plasma p-tau181 were negatively associated with MoCA-BLIND scores (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001 respectively) in these patients. Conclusions Aqueous p-tau181 is positively correlated with plasma p-tau181 and is negatively correlated with MoCA-BLIND scores. Further study in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or AD characterized by cerebrospinal fluid and volumetric MRI metrics may yield further insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemal Patel
- iMIND Study Group, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - C Ellis Wisely
- iMIND Study Group, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cason B Robbins
- iMIND Study Group, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Parker
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Pratap Challa
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dilraj S Grewal
- iMIND Study Group, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sharon Fekrat
- iMIND Study Group, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Lynn SA, Soubigou F, Dewing JM, Smith A, Ballingall J, Sass T, Nica I, Watkins C, Gupta B, Almuhtaseb H, Lash SC, Yuen HM, Cree A, Newman TA, Lotery AJ, Ratnayaka JA. An Exploratory Study Provides Insights into MMP9 and Aβ Levels in the Vitreous and Blood across Different Ages and in a Subset of AMD Patients. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314603. [PMID: 36498929 PMCID: PMC9736887 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) and total amyloid-beta (Aβ) are prospective biomarkers of ocular ageing and retinopathy. These were quantified by ELISA in the vitreous and blood from controls (n = 55) and in a subset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients (n = 12) for insights and possible additional links between the ocular and systemic compartments. Vitreous MMP9 levels in control and AMD groups were 932.5 ± 240.9 pg/mL and 813.7 ± 157.6 pg/mL, whilst serum levels were 2228 ± 193 pg/mL and 2386.8 ± 449.4 pg/mL, respectively. Vitreous Aβ in control and AMD groups were 1173.5 ± 117.1 pg/mL and 1275.6 ± 332.9 pg/mL, whilst plasma Aβ were 574.3 ± 104.8 pg/mL and 542.2 ± 139.9 pg/mL, respectively. MMP9 and Aβ showed variable levels across the lifecourse, indicating no correlation to each other or with age nor AMD status, though the smaller AMD cohort was a limiting factor. Aβ and MMP9 levels in the vitreous and blood were unrelated to mean arterial pressure. Smoking, another modifiable risk, showed no association with vitreous Aβ. However, smoking may be linked with vitreous (p = 0.004) and serum (p = 0.005) MMP9 levels in control and AMD groups, though this did not reach our elevated (p = 0.001) significance. A bioinformatics analysis revealed promising MMP9 and APP/Aβ partners for further scrutiny, many of which are already linked with retinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah A. Lynn
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Flavie Soubigou
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Jennifer M. Dewing
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Amanda Smith
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Joanna Ballingall
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Thea Sass
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Isabela Nica
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Catrin Watkins
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Bhaskar Gupta
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Hussein Almuhtaseb
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Stephen C. Lash
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Ho Ming Yuen
- Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP 801, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Angela Cree
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Tracey A. Newman
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Andrew J. Lotery
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
- Eye Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
- Correspondence: (A.J.L.); (J.A.R.)
| | - J. Arjuna Ratnayaka
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, MP806, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
- Correspondence: (A.J.L.); (J.A.R.)
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Bai J, Wan Z, Wang M, Wu X, Wang T, Zhang Y, Xue Y, Xu H, Peng Q. Association of cognitive function with Neurofilament light chain in the aqueous humor of human eye. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1027705. [PMID: 36408096 PMCID: PMC9671656 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1027705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the predictive clinical role of neurofilament light chain (NfL), amyloid-β (Aβ), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 (p-tau181) proteins in human aqueous humor (AH) and quantify the retinal macular microvascular parameters by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) as early diagnostic markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS This prospective, single-site, cross-sectional, cohort study enrolled 55 participants, including 38 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and 17 individuals with senile cataracts. The single-molecule array platform was used to quantitatively measure the levels of AH NfL, Aβ40, Aβ42, GFAP, and p-tau181 proteins in AH. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score was used to assess the global cognitive function. OCTA scan with 6 × 6 mm macular area was used to quantify the retinal thickness and microvascular densities of superficial retinal capillary plexuses and deep retinal capillary plexuses. RESULTS NfL, Aβ40, Aβ42, GFAP, and p-tau181 were detected in all AH samples by Simoa platform. Individuals with cataract had higher concentrations of NfL and p-tau181 but lower Aβ40 and Aβ42 and similar GFAP compared to those with nAMD. Lower MMSE scores showed a negative correlation with NfL concentration of AH not only in the nAMD group (p = 0.043), but also in the cataract group (p = 0.032). However, the MMSE scores were not associated with the levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, GFAP, or p-Tau181. Further analysis found that the Aβ40 and Aβ42 concentrations showed a strong positive correlation (p < 0.0001). In addition, the NfL concentration showed a mild positive correlation with that of GFAP in the cataract group (p = 0.021). Although it has not reached statistical significance, there was a correlation between the levels of NfL and Aβ42 in the nAMD group (p = 0.051). Moreover, the macular superficial vessel density values had a negative correlation with the concentration of NfL (p = 0.004) but a positive correlation with MMSE scores (p = 0.045). The macular deep vessel density values were negatively correlated with the concentration of p-tau181 (p = 0.031) and positively correlated with MMSE scores (p = 0.020). CONCLUSION The examination of AD-related biomarkers in human AH and OCTA may improve the ocular-based AD detection methods and contribute to forestalling the progression of preclinical AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhao Bai
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhongqi Wan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Minli Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xue Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yawen Xue
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Xu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Peng
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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