Alterations in Acrolein Metabolism Contribute to Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a detrimental neurodegenerative disease, and early diagnosis appears to be the key to successful treatment. Acrolein, a byproduct of lipid peroxidation, has been shown to contribute to the pathological process of AD. This study recruited 118 elderly subjects consisting of 58 non-demented control subjects and 62 AD patients. We analyzed the acrolein-related metabolites in the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and urine of all subjects. We found that the levels of acrolein-conjugated protein (Acr-PC) in the plasma (p = 0.00012) and CSF (p = 0.00161) of AD patients were significantly higher than those of control subjects, whereas the levels of a urinary acrolein metabolite, 3-hydroxypropyl mercapturic acid (3-HPMA), were markedly decreased (p = 0.00882) in AD patients. These data suggest that deregulated acrolein metabolism may be correlated with neuronal damage in AD patients, which might provide further insights into the disease progression and early diagnosis of AD.