Altered β-amyloid precursor protein isoforms in Mexican Alzheimer's Disease patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) isoforms ratio as a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease and to assess its relationship with demographic and genetic variables of the disease. Methods: Blood samples from 26 patients fulfilling NINCDS-ADRDA diagnostic criteria for AD and 46 healthy control subjects were collected for Western blotting for βAPP. A ratio of βAPP isoforms, in optical densities, between the upper band (130 Kd) and the lower bands (106-110 Kd) was obtained. Odds ratios were obtained to determine risk factor of this component. Results: βAPP ratio on AD subjects was lower than that of control subjects: 0.3662 ± 0.1891 vs. 0.6769 ± 0.1021 (mean ± SD, p < 0.05). A low βAPP ratio (< 0.6) showed an OR of 4.63 (95% CI 1.45-15.33). When onset of disease was taken into account, a βAPP ratio on EOAD subjects of 0.3965 ± 0.1916 was found vs. 0.3445 ± 0.1965 on LOAD subjects (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Altered βAPP isoforms is a high risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, although it has no influence on the time of onset of the disease. © 2006 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.