Increased plasma TGF-β 1 in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objectives - To investigate the levels of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in plasma of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Material and methods - The TGF-beta 1 plasma concentrations were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 11 patients with ALS and 13 age matched healthy controls. Results - The mean TGF-beta 1 plasma concentration in the patients with ALS (2.15 +/- 0.80 ng/ml, mean +/- SD) was significantly higher than in the healthy controls (1.59 +/- 0.32 ng/ml) (P =0.031). There was a significant positive correlation between the TGF-beta 1 plasma concentration in the patients with ALS and the duration of illness (r =0.66, P =0.028). Conclusion - Our findings provide evidence that in ALS the plasma concentration of TGF-beta 1 increases significantly with the duration of illness. These results suggest that TGF-beta 1 is involved in the disease process of ALS.