The Probable Auto-Antigenic Role of Lipidsin the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease
What is it about?
We examined the sera of 103 demented patients of a mean age of 75 years and 60 age-matched healthy individuals, using ELISA, to investigate the levels of IgM antibodies against GM1, GD1b, and GQ1b gangliosides and their possible correlation with clinical parameters (age, severity, and type of dementia). All the individuals that demonstrated positive titers of anti-ganglioside antibodies were demented patients whereas normal controls showed borderline or negative values. Significant correlation was revealed between IgM anti-GM1 and both the age of the patients and the severity of dementia. Most of the patients with increased IgM anti-GD1b titers suffered from AD.
Why is it important?
Our findings demonstrate consistently increased titers of IgM anti-ganglioside antibodies (especially anti-GM1) in demented patients when compared to age-matched healthy controls. A significant correlation between the levels of anti-GM1 with the age and the severity of dementia and of anti- GD1b with the type of the disease in favor of AD was also presented. Our results highlight a probable antigenic role of lipids, mainly gangliosisdes, in the pathogenesis of AD and other dementias