Detection of amyloid β protein in the urine of Alzheimer's disease patients and healthy individuals

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 435; no. 2; pp. 126 - 130
• Main Authors: Takata, Manabu, Nakashima, Manabu, Takehara, Taro, Baba, Hideyo, Machida, Kazuyuki, Akitake, Yoshiharu, Ono, Kazuhiko, Hosokawa, Masato, Takahashi, Mitsuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 18.04.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - urine; Alzheimer's disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides - urine; Amyloid β protein; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarker; Clinical dementia rating (CDR); Cognition Disorders - urine; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neurology; Peptide Fragments - urine; Severity of Illness Index; Urine; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Western blot; Amyloid β protein; Urine; Western blot; Biomarker; Clinical dementia rating (CDR); Alzheimer's disease; Human; Biological fluid; Nervous system diseases; Alzheimer disease; Biological marker; Cerebral disorder; β Amyloid protein; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.02.019

To seek for a new valid biomarker using non-invasive specimens for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), we carried out the detection of amyloid β (Aβ) protein in urine. Ten-millilitre urine samples were first sedimented with trichloroacetic acid, and the pellets were resuspended for further analysis by Western blotting with anti-Aβ antibody. The detection sensitivity of the method was 40pg/ml. Rates of subjects positive for monomeric Aβ according to their clinical dementia rating (CDR) were 11.1% for CDR 0, 62.5% for CDR 0.5, 83.3% for CDR 1, 54.5% for CDR 2 and 0% for CDR 3. A single Aβ band relative to the CDR score reflects an alteration in the production, solubility and clearance of Aβ in the brain. Thus, the method could be used as both a diagnostic and monitoring tool in assessing AD and MCI patients during disease-modifying therapies.