Glycogen-synthase kinase-3ß is decreased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with mild cognitive impairment

Josef Marksteiner , Christian Humpel

Glycogen-synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) plays a central role in Alzheimer´s disease (AD). It is involved in the hyper-phosphorylation of Tau and the increased production of ß-amyloid. Despite its eminent role, only one study has been published so far in AD blood samples, reporting an increase of GSK-3 and -3ß levels in white blood cells. In this study, we measured GSK-3 and -3ß by quantitative ELISA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD and depression in comparison to healthy subjects. In contrast to the previous study, we observed a significant reduction of GSK-3ß levels in MCI patients and less pronounced in AD but not in depression. The data indicate that high GSK-3 brain activity is not reflected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Therefore, we conclude that more longitudinal studies have to be performed to clarify whether GSK-3 blood levels may qualify as disease specific biological markers.

Mots clés: Medicine

Josef Marksteiner, Christian Humpel. Glycogen-synthase kinase-3ß is decreased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with mild cognitive impairment. Experimental Gerontology, 2009, 44 (6-7), pp.370. ⟨10.1016/j.exger.2009.02.007⟩. ⟨hal-00493100⟩