Testing a Combination of Markers of Systemic Redox Status as a Possible Tool for the Diagnosis of Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND: Blood-based parameters reflecting systemic abnormalities associated with typical brain physiopathological hallmarks could be a satisfactory answer to the need of less costly/intrusive and widely available biomarkers for late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Cumulating evidence from ourselves and others suggests that systemic oxidative stress (OxS) is precociously associated with LOAD. On this basis, we aimed to identify a combination of markers of redox status that could aid the diagnosis of LOAD. METHODS: We reexamined and crossed previous data on 9 serum markers of OxS obtained in a cohort including n = 84 controls and n = 90 LOAD patients by multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A multimarker panel was identified that included significantly increased (hydroperoxides and uric acid) and decreased (thiols, residual antioxidant power, and arylesterase activity) markers. The multivariate model yielded an area under receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.808 for the discrimination between controls and LOAD patients, with specificity and sensitivity of 64% and 79%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a panel of serum markers that distinguish individuals with LOAD from cognitively healthy control subjects. Replication studies on a larger independent cohort are required to confirm and extend our data.