Elevated plasma levels of D-serine in some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

• Published in: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration Vol. 22; no. 3-4; pp. 206 - 210
• Main Authors: Lee, Aven, Arachchige, Buddhika Jayakody, Henderson, Robert, Pow, David, Reed, Sarah, Aylward, James, McCombe, Pamela Ann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03.04.2021
• Subjects: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; D-serine; mass spectrometry; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; mass spectrometry; D-serine
• DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2020.1832120
• ISSN: 2167-8421; 2167-9223

D-serine is an endogenous co-agonist with glutamate for activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). D-serine exacerbates neuronal death and is elevated in the spinal cord from patients with sporadic/familial ALS. The present study was undertaken to examine whether plasma levels of D-serine of patients with ALS are different from those of healthy controls. Levels of D-serine in plasma (30 patients and 30 controls) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Plasma levels of D-serine in ALS patients (mean 39.27 ± 28.61 ng/ml) were significantly higher (p = 0.0293) than those of healthy control subjects (mean 21.07 ± 14.03 ng/ml) as well as previously reported values for healthy controls; ∼43% of patients had plasma D-serine levels that were 2 to 4-folds higher than those of controls. There was no association of plasma D-serine levels with disability, the duration of disease or with the age of subjects. In conclusion, we show that D-serine levels are elevated in the plasma of some ALS patients. Since D-serine serves as a co-agonist/activator of NMDAR, increases in D-serine could have a direct influence on glutamatergic neurotransmission and potentially contribute to excitotoxicity in some ALS patients.