VCAM1 Levels Correlate with Parkinson ' s Disease Severity

Levels of VCAM1 in the bloodstream increase with age, and it appears to be an important signal molecule in at least the brain. Its expression is upregulated by inflammatory cytokines, and so is a marker of inflammatory disease. Chronic inflammation of course increases with age. Researchers have shown that blocking VCAM1 can prevent suppression of neurogenesis due to delivery of old blood plasma into young mice, which is an interesting result, as one might not expect detrimental reactions to inflammatory signaling to have such a narrow bottleneck of regulation. Would a method of interfering with VCAM1 assist in tissue maintenance and cognitive function in older individuals? That remains to be determined with any certainty. The work here showing a correlation between VCAM1 and severity of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative condition, reinforces the point that high levels of VCAM1 are undesirable. There is increasing evidence that Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology is accompanied by ongoing inflammatory processess. This neuroinflammatory component is particularly relevant for better understanding disease progression accordingly developing disease-modifying therapies. Therefore, the present study explored dysregulated inflammatory profiles in the peripheral blood cells and plasma of PD patients within the context of established clinical indicators. We performed a screening of selected cell-surface chemokine receptors and adhesion molecules in peripheral blood monon...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs