The neuroinflammatory biomarker YKL-40 for neurodegenerative diseases: advances in development. (3rd July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baldacci, Filippo; Lista, Simone; Palermo, Giovanni; Giorgi, Filippo Sean; Vergallo, Andrea; Hampel, Harald
• Is Part Of: Expert review of proteomics. Volume 16:Number 7(2019)
• Page Start: 593
• Page End: 600
• Publication Date: 2019-07-03
• Subjects: YKL-40 -- chitinase-3-like 1 -- Alzheimer's disease -- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease -- neurodegenerative diseases -- biomarkers -- cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers -- precision medicine; Proteins -- Biotechnology -- Periodicals; Proteomics -- Periodicals; 572.6
• DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2019.1628643
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1478-9450

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Introduction : Neuroinflammation is a common pathophysiological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) YKL-40 has recently been candidated as a neuroinflammatory biomarker of ND. Areas covered : We provide an update on the role of CSF YKL-40 as a pathophysiological biomarker of ND. YKL-40 may discriminate Alzheimer's disease (AD) from controls and may predict the progression from the early preclinical to the late dementia stage. In genetic AD, YKL-40 increases decades before the clinical onset. It does not seem a specific biomarker of a certain ND although sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jacob disease shows the highest YKL-40 concentrations. YKL-40 may discriminate between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and ALS-mimics. YKL-40 is potentially associated with the rate of ALS progression. YKL-40 correlates with biomarkers of neuronal injury, large axonal damage and synaptic disruption in various ND. It is not associated with the presence of the APOE -ε4 allele whereas possibly linked to aging, female sex, Hispanic ethnicity and some genetic variants of the chitinase-3-like 1 locus. Expert opinion : There is growing evidence expanding the relevance of CSF YKL-40 as a pathophysiological biomarker for ND. Patients showing high YKL-40 levels might benefit from targeted clinical trials that use compounds acting against neuroinflammatory mechanisms, independently of the initial clinical diagnosis of ND.