Relationship Between BDNF and LPS Levels in the Blood of Patients with Different Neurological Diseases: A Small Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: Neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction are key factors in various neurological disorders, disrupting brain tissue balance and leading to neuronal death. BBB integrity decline is evident in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and epilepsy. Materials and Methods: We measured levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the largest endotoxin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients' blood plasma and correlated them with biochemical parameters to identify biomarkers for these diseases. Results: Significant associations were observed between LPS, C-reactive protein (CRP), BDNF, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels across conditions. LPS was positively correlated with CRP levels in epilepsy (r=0.753, p=0.002). Additionally, BDNF was negatively correlated with CRP in PD patients (r=-0.53, p=0.042). Moreover, a negative correlation was found between LPS and LDH in AD patients (r=-0.521, p=0.047). Conclusion: Our findings correspond to the etiology of neuroinflammation involved in the pathophysiology of relevant diseases and suggest the potential use of these biomarkers in the early diagnosis and monitoring of neurological diseases, guiding future research towards better patient outcomes and therapies.