Immunoprotection against toxic biomarkers is retained during Parkinson's disease progression

The aim was to ascertain any possible linkage between humoral immune responses to principal biomarkers (alpha-synuclein monomers, its toxic oligomers or fibrils, dopamine and S100B) and cellular immunity in Parkinson's disease development. There were elevated autoantibody titers to alpha-synuclein monomers, oligomers plus fibrils in 72%, 56%, and 17% of Parkinsonian patients respectively with a 5-year disease duration. Additionally, there were increased titers to dopamine and S100B (96% and 89%) in the 5-year patient group. All of these values subsided in 10-year sufferers. Furthermore, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T-lymphocyte and B-lymphocyte subsets declined in the patient cohort during Parkinsonism indicating disease associated reductions in these lymphocyte subsets. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.