Case Control Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2024; 14(3): 380-387
Published online Mar 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i3.380
Evaluating serum CXCL12, sCD22, Lp-PLA2 levels and ratios as biomarkers for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Zeng-Ling Liu, Fei-Fei Hua, Lei Qu, Na Yan, Hui-Fang Zhang
Zeng-Ling Liu, Fei-Fei Hua, Lei Qu, Na Yan, Hui-Fang Zhang, Department of Neurology, Dongying People's Hospital, Dongying 257000, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Zeng-Ling Liu and Fei-Fei Hua.
Author contributions: Liu ZL, Hua FF and Zhang HF conceived and designed the study; Qu L and Yan N provided clinical advice; Liu ZL and Hua FF analyzed the data; Liu ZL and Hua FF prepared the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript. Liu ZL and Hua FF made the same contribution to this work and should share the first authorship. The involvement of Liu ZL and Hua FF in the research was equally significant. Their joint appointment as co-first authors serve to acknowledge their equal contributions and underscores the spirit of cooperation and teamwork inherent in our study. Conclusively, it is our belief that naming Liu ZL and Hua FF as co-first authors suitably reflect the essence of our team's collaborative efforts, equal input, and varied strengths.
Institutional review board statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by Institutional Review Board of Dongying People's Hospital. All the study subjects provided informed consent.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hui-Fang Zhang, MMed, Staff Physician, Department of Neurology, Dongying People's Hospital, No. 317 Dongcheng South 1st Road, Dongying District, Dongying 257000, Shandong Province, China. huifangzhang2@163.com
Received: December 17, 2023
Peer-review started: December 17, 2023
First decision: January 10, 2024
Revised: January 15, 2024
Accepted: February 4, 2024
Article in press: February 4, 2024
Published online: March 19, 2024
Processing time: 92 Days and 22.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Grasping the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still a work in progress, and existing diagnostic techniques encounter various obstacles. Therefore, the discovery of dependable biomarkers is essential for early detection, tracking the disease's advancement, and steering treatment strategies.

AIM

To explore the diagnostic potential of serum CXCL12, sCD22, Lp-PLA2, and their ratios in AD, aiming to enhance early detection and inform targeted treatment strategies.

METHODS

The study was conducted in Dongying people's Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022. Participants included 60 AD patients (AD group) and 60 healthy people (control group). Using a prospective case-control design, the levels of CXCL12, sCD22 and Lp-PLA2 and their ratios were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in the diagnosis of AD. The differences between the two groups were analyzed by statistical methods, and the corresponding ratio was constructed to improve the specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis.

RESULTS

Serum CXCL12 levels were higher in the AD group (47.2 ± 8.5 ng/mL) than the control group (32.8 ± 5.7 ng/mL, P < 0.001), while sCD22 levels were lower (14.3 ± 2.1 ng/mL vs 18.9 ± 3.4 ng/mL, P < 0.01). Lp-PLA2 levels were also higher in the AD group (112.5 ± 20.6 ng/mL vs 89.7 ± 15.2 ng/mL, P < 0.05). Significant differences were noted in CXCL12/sCD22 (3.3 vs 1.7, P < 0.001) and Lp-PLA2/sCD22 ratios (8.0 vs 5.2, P < 0.05) between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis confirmed high sensitivity and specificity of these markers and their ratios in distinguishing AD, with area under the curves ranging from 0.568 to 0.787.

CONCLUSION

Serum CXCL12 and Lp-PLA2 levels were significantly increased, while sCD22 were significantly decreased, as well as increases in the ratios of CXCL12/sCD22 and Lp-PLA2/sCD22, are closely related to the onset of AD. These biomarkers and their ratios can be used as potential diagnostic indicators for AD, providing an important clinical reference for early intervention and treatment.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Biomarkers; CXCL12; sCD22; Lp-PLA2

Core Tip: This study uncovers the diagnostic potential of serum CXCL12, sCD22, Lp-PLA2 levels, and their ratios in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research reveals distinct patterns in these biomarkers among AD patients, providing insight into their roles in neuroinflammation and immune regulation. The findings suggest these serum markers, especially when combined as ratios, could enhance AD diagnosis, offering a non-invasive approach to early detection and intervention.