Neurofilament light chain protein as a marker of neuronal injury: review of its use in HIV-1 infection and reference values for HIV-negative controls

ObjectiveTo explore changes in CSF sTREM2 concentrations in the evolving course of HIV-1 infection.MethodsIn this retrospective cross-sectional study, we measured concentrations of the macrophage/microglial activation marker sTREM2 in CSF samples from 121 HIV-1–infected adults and 11 HIV-negative controls and examined their correlations with other CSF and blood biomarkers of infection, inflammation, and neuronal injury.ResultsCSF sTREM2 increased with systemic and CNS HIV-1 disease severity, with the highest levels found in patients with HIV-associated dementia (HAD). In untreated HIV-1–infected patients without an HAD diagnosis, levels of CSF sTREM2 increased with decreasing CD4+ T-cell counts. CSF concentrations of both sTREM2 and the neuronal injury marker neurofilament light protein (NFL) were significantly associated with age. CSF sTREM2 levels were also independently correlated with CSF NFL. Notably, this association was also observed in HIV-negative controls with normal CSF NFL. HIV-infected patients on suppressive antiretroviral treatment had CSF sTREM2 levels comparable to healthy controls.ConclusionsElevations in CSF sTREM2 levels, an indicator of macrophage/microglial activation, are a common feature of untreated HIV-1 infection that increases with CD4+ T-cell loss and reaches highest levels in HAD. The strong and independent association between CSF sTREM2 and CSF NFL suggests a linkage between microglial activation and neuronal injury in HIV-1 infection. CSF sTREM2 has the potential of being a useful biomarker of innate CNS immune activation in different stages of untreated and treated HIV-1 infection.

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Reference values for plasma neurofilament light chain in healthy Chinese children

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) ◽

10.1515/cclm-2021-0804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Jianing Jin ◽

Yiqin Cui ◽

Yi Hong ◽

Dongming Zhou ◽

Ni He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reference Values ◽

Light Chain ◽

Chinese Children ◽

Neurofilament Light Chain ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

Healthy Chinese

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Evaluation of neurofilament light chain in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood as a biomarker for neuronal damage in experimental pneumococcal meningitis

Journal of Neuroinflammation ◽

10.1186/s12974-020-01966-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ngoc Dung Le ◽

Lukas Muri ◽

Denis Grandgirard ◽

Jens Kuhle ◽

David Leppert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Single Molecule ◽

Light Chain ◽

Pneumococcal Meningitis ◽

Neuronal Damage ◽

Neuronal Injury ◽

Health Concern ◽

Neurofilament Light Chain ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

Inflammatory Phase

Abstract Background Pneumococcal meningitis (PM) remains a global public health concern and affects all age groups. If acquired during infancy or childhood, permanent neurofunctional deficits including cognitive impairment, cerebral palsy, and secondary epilepsy are typical sequelae of neuronal injury. Determination of patients at risk for the development of brain injury and subsequent neurofunctional sequelae could help to identify patients for focused management. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is an axonal cytoskeletal protein released upon neuronal injury into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. As little is known about the course of neurofilament release in the course of PM, we measured CSF and serum NfL levels longitudinally in experimental PM (ePM). Methods Eleven-day-old infant Wistar rats were infected intracisternally with Streptococcus pneumoniae and treated with ceftriaxone. At 18 and 42 h post-infection (hpi), the blood and CSF were sampled for NfL measurements by a single molecule array technology. Inflammatory cytokines and MMP-9 in CSF were quantified by magnetic bead multiplex assay (Luminex®) and by gel zymography, respectively. Results In ePM, CSF and serum NfL levels started to increase at 18 hpi and were 26- and 3.5-fold increased, respectively, compared to mock-infected animals at 42 hpi (p < 0.0001). CSF and serum NfL correlated at 18 hpi (p < 0.05, r = 0.4716) and 42 hpi (p < 0.0001, r = 0.8179). Both CSF and serum NfL at 42 hpi strongly correlated with CSF levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 and of MMP-9 depending on their individual kinetics. Conclusion Current results demonstrate that during the peak inflammatory phase of ePM, NfL levels in CSF and serum are the highest among CNS disease models studied so far. Given the strong correlation of CSF versus serum NfL, and its CNS-specific signal character, longitudinal measurements to monitor the course of PM could be performed based on blood sample tests, i.e., without the need of repetitive spinal taps. We conclude that NfL in the serum should be evaluated as a biomarker in PM.

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Neurofilament Light Chain: Blood Biomarker of Neonatal Neuronal Injury

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2018.00984 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Antoinette Depoorter ◽

Roland P. Neumann ◽

Christian Barro ◽

Urs Fisch ◽

Peter Weber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Light Chain ◽

Neuronal Injury ◽

Neurofilament Light Chain ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

Blood Biomarker

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Thirty years after anorexia nervosa onset, serum neurofilament light chain protein concentration indicates neuronal injury

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1007/s00787-020-01657-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elisabet Wentz ◽

Sandra Rydberg Dobrescu ◽

Lisa Dinkler ◽

Carina Gillberg ◽

Christopher Gillberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Single Molecule ◽

Light Chain ◽

Axonal Degeneration ◽

Neuronal Injury ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Neurofilament Light Chain ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

National Patient ◽

History Of

Abstract Little is known about the long-term consequences of anorexia nervosa (AN) in terms of possible brain neuronal injury. We aimed at investigating whether women with adolescent-onset AN exhibit increased serum levels of neurofilament light chain protein (NfL), a biomarker for neuronal injury, compared with matched controls at 30-year follow-up. Blood samples were collected from 34 women with adolescent-onset AN and 38 matched healthy comparison women (COMP), at a mean age of 44 years (range 38–48 years). NfL was measured in serum using the in-house single molecule array (Simoa) method. The individuals were asked whether they or their parents had been diagnosed with dementia. The Swedish National Patient Register was searched for diagnoses related to dementia. Serum NfL concentrations were significantly higher in the AN group (AN 27.7 pg/ml; COMP 19.0 pg/ml; p = 0.041). When individuals with medical/neurological disorders in the AN and COMP groups were excluded, there was a statistically non-significant trend towards higher concentrations in the AN group (AN 27.4 pg/ml; COMP 18.8 pg/ml; p = 0.060). None of the participants had been diagnosed with dementia. There was no significant correlation between serum NfL and AN duration (r = 0.15). There was a moderate negative correlation between the serum NfL concentration and the current BMI in the AN group (r = 0.44). This is the first time that serum NfL has been assessed in middle-aged women with a history of adolescent-onset AN. The results suggest that there might be increased axonal degeneration as a sequel of AN. Individuals remaining underweight had higher serum NfL concentrations than those with a normal/high BMI. Additional studies are needed to confirm increased serum NfL concentrations in individuals recovered from AN. There is a need for further study of axonal degeneration as a consequence of AN.

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