Elevation of Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase and Monounsaturated Fatty Acids in Parkinson's Disease Serum.

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence indicates that dysregulation of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), synthesized by the enzyme stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD), impacts on α-synuclein pathology in the Parkinson's disease (PD) brain.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyze SCD and MUFA-enriched lipids in the periphery of patients with sporadic PD compared with healthy control subjects.

METHODS

Serum SCD protein was quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with PD (n = 40) and control subjects (n = 41). Lipidomic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and LipidSearch software. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U tests and Welch's t tests with false discovery rate (FDR) correction.

RESULTS

SCD levels were higher in PD (mean = 1702 pg/ml) compared with control subjects (1158 pg/ml; P = 2.2 × 10-4; Cohen's d = 0.73). Lipidomics showed elevated MUFA content in four lipid classes: methylphosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, dihexosylceramide, and triglycerides (FDR < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased SCD and MUFA-enriched lipids indicate altered membrane and sphingolipid metabolism in PD, consistent with central disease pathology, that present a potential for novel biomarker development for PD. © 2026 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.