Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in Alzheimer's disease

  • Published:
Journal of Neural Transmission Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

We compared CSF and serum levels, and the CSF/serum ratio of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), measured by HPLC, in 44 apparently well-nourished patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 37 matched controls. CSF and serum vitamin E levels were correlated, both in AD patients and in controls. The mean CSF and serum vitamin E levels were significantly lower in AD patients, and the CSF/serum ratio of AD patients did not differ significantly between the 2 study groups. CSF vitamin E levels did not correlate with age, age at onset, duration of the disease and score of the Minimental State Examination in the AD group. Weight and body mass index were significantly lower in AD patients than in controls. These results suggest that low CSF and serum vitamin E concentrations in AD patients could be related with a deficiency of dietary intake of vitamin E.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams JD Jr, Klaidman LK, Odunze IN, Shen HC, Miller CA (1991) Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Brain levels of glutathione, glutathione disulfide, and vitamin E. Mol Chem Neuropathol 14: 213–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahlskog JE, Uitti RJ, Low PA, Tyce GM, Nickander KK, Petersen RC, Kokmen E (1995) No evidence for systemic oxidant stress in Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Mov Disord 10: 566–573

    Google Scholar 

  • Amaducci LA, Fratiglioni L, Rocca WA, Fieschi C, Livrea P, Pedone D, Bracco L, Lippi A, Gandolfo C, Bino G, Prencipe M, Bonatti ML, Girotti F, Carella F, Tavolato B, Ferla S, Lenzi GL, Carolei A, Gambi A, Schoenberg BS (1986) Risk-factors for clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease: a case-control study of an Italian population. Neurology 36: 922–931

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV). American Psychiatric Press, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Carney JM, Smith CD, Carney AM, Butterfield DA (1994) Aging and oxigen-induced modifications in brain biochemistry and behavior. Ann NY Acad Sci 738: 44–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Richardson JS, Caldwell JE, Ang LC (1994) Regional brain activity of free radical defense enzymes in autopsy samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease and from nondemented controls. Int J Neurosci 75: 83–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor JR, Tucker P, Johnson M, Snyder B (1993) Ceruloplasmin levels in the human superior temporal gyrus in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett 159: 88–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Calle P, Molina JA, Jiménez-Jiménez FJ, Vázquez A, Pondal M, García-Ruiz P, Urra DG, Domingo J, Codoceo R (1992) Serum levels of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in Parkinson's disease. Neurology 42: 1064–1066

    Google Scholar 

  • Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR (1975) “Mini-Mental State”. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatry Res 12: 189–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Goate AM, Hardy JA, Owen MJ, Haynes A, James L, Farrall M, Mullan MJ, Roques P, Rossor MN (1990) Genetics of Alzheimer's disease. Adv Neurol 51: 197–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Good PF, Perl DP, Bierer LM, Schmeidler J (1992) Selective accumulation of aluminum and iron in the neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease: a laser microprobe (LAMMA) study. Ann Neurol 31: 286–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Gsell W, Conrad R, Hickethier M, Sofic E, Frolich L, Wichart I, Jellinger K, Moll G, Ransmayr G, Beckman H, Riederer P (1995) Decreased catalase activity but unchanged superoxide dismutase activity in brains of patients with dementia of Alzheimer type. J Neurochem 64: 1216–1223

    Google Scholar 

  • Hachinski VC, Ihift LD, Zilhka E, du Boulay GG, McAllister VL, Marshall J, Russell RW, Symov L (1975) Cerebral blood flow in dementia. Arch Neurol 32: 632–637

    Google Scholar 

  • Hajimohammadreza I, Brammer M (1990) Brain membrane fluidity and lipid peroxidation in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett 112: 333–337

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton M (1960) A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 23: 56–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeandel C, Nicolas MB, Dubois F, Nabet-Belleville F, Penin F, Cuny G (1989) Lipid peroxidation and free radical scavengers in Alzheimer's disease. Gerontology 35: 275–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeffler DA, DeMaggio AJ, Juneau PL, Brickman CM, Mashour GA, Finkelman JH, Pomara N, LeWitt PA (1994) Ceruloplasmin is increased in cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer's disease but not Parkinson's disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 8: 190–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovell MA, Ehmann WD, Butler SM, Markesbery WR (1995) Elevated thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and antioxidant enzyme activity in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 45: 1594–1601

    Google Scholar 

  • McKahnn G, Drachman D, Folstein M, Katzman R, Price D, Stadlan EM (1984) Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: report of the NINCDS-ADRDA Work Group under the auspices of Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Alzheimer's disease. Neurology 34: 939–944

    Google Scholar 

  • Mecocci P, MacGarvey U, Beal MF (1994) Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA is increased in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol 36: 747–751

    Google Scholar 

  • Metcalfe T, Bowen DM, Muller DPR (1989) Vitamin E concentrations in human brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease, fetuses with Down's syndrome, centenarians, and controls. Neurochem Res 14: 1209–1212

    Google Scholar 

  • Molina JA, de Bustos F, Jiménez-Jiménez FJ, Benito-León J, Gasalla T, Ortí-Pareja M, Vela L, Bermejo F, Martín MA, Campos Y, Arenas J (1997) Respiratory chain enzyme activities in isolated mitochondria of lymphocytes from Alzheimer's disease patients. Neurology 48: 636–638

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreu E, Molinero LM, Fernández E (1990) R-Sigma: Base de datos bioestadística para un ordenador personal. Horus Hardware, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris CM, Kerwin JM, Edwardson JA (1994) Non-haem iron histochemistry of the normal and Alzheimer's disease hippocampus. Neurodegeneration 3: 267–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer AM, Burns MA (1994) Selective increase in lipid peroxidation in the inferior temporal cortex in Alzheimer's disease. Brain Res 645: 338–342

    Google Scholar 

  • Pappert EJ, Tangney CC, Goetz CG, Ling ZD, Lipton JW, Stebbins GT, Carvey PM (1996) Alpha-tocopherol in the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinson's disease patients: dose-response study and correlations with plasma levels. Neurology 47: 1037–1042

    Google Scholar 

  • Pappolla MA, Omar RA, Kim KS, Robakis NK (1992) Immunohistochemical evidence of antioxidant stress in Alzheimer's disease. Am J Pathol 140: 621–628

    Google Scholar 

  • Saura J, Luque JM, Cesura AM, Da Prada M, Chan-Palay V, Huber G, Loffler J, Richards JG (1994) Increased monoamine oxidase B activity in plaque-associated astrocytes of Alzheimer brains revealed by quantitative enzyme radioautography. Neuroscience 62: 15–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Schapira AHV (1994) Mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders and aging. In: Schapira AHV, DiMauro S (eds) Mitochondrial disorders in neurology. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp 227–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalat SL, Seltzer S, Pidcock C, Baker EL (1986) Risk-factors for Alzheimer's disease: a case-control study. Neurology 6: 1630–1633

    Google Scholar 

  • Spencer PS (1990) Etiology of Alzheimer's disease: a Western Pacific view. Adv Neurol 51: 79–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Subbarao KV, Richardson JS, Ang LC (1990) Autopsy samples of Alzheimer's cortex show increased peroxidation in vitro. J Neurochem 55: 342–345

    Google Scholar 

  • Sukava R, Haltia M, Paetau A, Wikstrom J, Palo J (1983) Accuracy of clinical diagnosis in primary degenerative dementia: correlation with neuropathological findings. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 46: 9–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Tohgi H, Abe T, Nakanishi M, Hamato F, Sasaki K, Takahashi S (1994) Concentrations of α-tocopherol and its quinone derivative in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with vascular dementia of the Binswanger type and Alzheimer's disease dementia. Neurosci Lett 174: 73–76

    Google Scholar 

  • van Rensburg SJ, Carstens ME, Potocnik FC, Aucamp AK, Taljaard JJ (1993) Increased frequency of the transferrin C2 subtype in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroreport 4: 1269–1271

    Google Scholar 

  • van Rensburg SJ, Carstens ME, Potocnik FC, van der Spuy G, van der Walt BJ, Taljaard JJ(1995) Transferrin C2 and Alzheimer's disease: another piece of the puzzle found? Med Hypotheses 44: 268–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Vatassery GT, Nelson MJ, Maletta GJ, Kuskowski MA (1991) Vitamin E (tocopherols) in human cerebrospinal fluid. Am J Clin Nutr 53: 95–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Youdim MBH (1988) Iron in the brain: implications for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Mt Sinai J Med 55: 97–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaman Z, Roche S, Fielden P, Frost PG, Niriella DC, Cayley AC (1992) Plasma concentrations of vitamins A and E and carotenoids in Alzheimer's disease. Age Ageing 21: 91–94

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. F. J. Jiménez-Jiménez

    Present address: C/Corregidor José de Pasamonte, 24, 3-D, E-28030, Madrid, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario “Príncipe de Asturias”, Alcalá de Henares

    F. J. Jiménez-Jiménez, A. Tallón-Barranco, T. Gasalla & M. Ortí-Pareja

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Spain

    F. de Bustos, F. Guillamón, J. C. Rubio & J. Arenas

  3. Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Spain

    J. A. Molina & J. Benito-León

  4. Department of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

    R. Enríquez-de-Salamanca

Authors
  1. F. J. Jiménez-Jiménez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. de Bustos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. A. Molina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Benito-León
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. Tallón-Barranco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. T. Gasalla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. M. Ortí-Pareja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. F. Guillamón
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. J. C. Rubio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. J. Arenas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. R. Enríquez-de-Salamanca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jiménez-Jiménez, F.J., de Bustos, F., Molina, J.A. et al. Cerebrospinal fluid levels of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in Alzheimer's disease. J. Neural Transmission 104, 703–710 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01291887

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01291887

Keywords

Search

Navigation