Decreased serum endoglin level in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a preliminary report

Objectives. Angiogenic mechanisms may have a role to play in the neurodegeneration observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of the present study was to measure serum angiogenic factor endoglin (ENG) levels in patients with ALS. Material and methods. The study involved 25 ALS patients and 25 controls. Concentrations of ENG in serum samples were measured using a human Endoglin/CD105 ELISA kit (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, Minn., USA). Results. Serum ENG concentrations were 14% lower in the patients with ALS compared to controls (4.57 versus 3.97 ng/mL; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum ENG levels between subgroups of patients with ALS subdivided depending on clinical state, type of ALS onset and duration of the disease (p > 0.05). The correlation between serum ENG levels and clinical parameters of ALS was not significant either (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Results indicate that ENG may be implicated in the pathomechanism of ALS. A decrease in ENG levels, as observed in this study, may accelerate neurodegeneration of motor neurons in ALS through chronic ischaemia caused by impaired perfusion.