Quantification of microRNA-210 in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum: Implications for Alzheimer's disease

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential clinical application of the genetic marker microRNA (miRNA)-210 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The enrolled patients were divided into the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD groups. Healthy individuals were used as the controls. The mRNA and protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the CSF and serum samples was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. The expression of miRNA-210 in the CSF and serum was detected by RT-qPCR. The results revealed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of VEGF in the CSF and serum were decreased in the MCI and AD groups compared with those in the control group. The greater the severity of the dementia, the lower the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF. Similar to the trend observed for VEGF, the miRNA-210 expression in the CSF and serum decreased as the severity of the AD increased. miRNA-210 is thus not only indicative of AD pathogenesis, but may also provide novel insights into the prevention and treatment of the disease.