RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Screening plasma samples from patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) to discover diagnostic biomarkers. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected from 17 patients with sporadic CJD, 17 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), and 20 healthy subjects. A 2-phase screening was carried out using quantitative protein mass spectrometry. The putative sporadic CJD biomarkers were then validated independently by immunoturbidimetry. RESULTS: Mass spectrometry uncovered 7 candidate sporadic CJD protein biomarkers, all belonging to the acute-phase response. Highly significant increases of these markers in patients with sporadic CJD, compared with healthy subjects and patients with AD, was confirmed by immunoturbidimetry. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in plasma levels of a related set of acute-phase reactants in patients with sporadic CJD is a novel finding that suggests new pathogenetic hypotheses. The possible value of this set of proteins as biomarkers in the diagnosis of sporadic CJD or for blood/tissue donor screening remains to be further explored and validated in larger studies.
