Non-Invasive Nasal Discharge Fluid and Other Body Fluid Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

The key to current Alzheimer’s disease (AD) therapy is the early diagnosis for prompt intervention, since available treatments only slow the disease progression. Therefore, this lack of promising therapies has called for diagnostic screening tests to identify those likely to develop full-blown AD. Recent AD diagnosis guidelines incorporated core biomarker analyses into criteria, including amyloid-β (Aβ), total-tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau). Though effective, the accessibility of screening tests involving conventional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)- and blood-based analyses is often hindered by the invasiveness and high cost. In an attempt to overcome these shortcomings, biomarker profiling research using non-invasive body fluid has shown the potential to capture the pathological changes in the patients’ bodies. These novel non-invasive body fluid biomarkers for AD have emerged as diagnostic and pathological targets. Here, we review the potential peripheral biomarkers, including non-invasive peripheral body fluids of nasal discharge, tear, saliva, and urine for AD.