Blood HO-1 mRNA in AD and MCI

Last year, we published an article in Neurology entitled “Evaluation of heme oxygenase-1 as a systemic biologic marker of sporadic AD.”1 In that article, we reported that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein concentrations are significantly lower in plasma and CSF samples procured from subjects with sporadic AD relative to normal elderly control values. Moreover, HO-1 mRNA levels (determined by Northern blotting) in blood mononuclear cells (MNC) derived from the AD patients and some individuals with mild cognitive impairment were significantly suppressed relative to normal elderly controls and patients with other neurologic and medical conditions. In our study,1 …