Expression of TGF-betas and TGF-beta type II receptor in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

We investigated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 21 patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) and 14 controls without neurological disease. The concentrations of leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein (LRG), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, 2, 3 and TGF-beta type II receptor (TbetaR-II) in CSF were measured using ELISA. TGF-beta1, TbetaR-II and LRG CSF levels of patients with INPH were significantly higher than controls, whereas no significant differences in TGF-beta2 levels were found between INPH patients and controls. The present study suggests that TGF-betas expressions may be modulated differently in patients with INPH. These results also indicate that the CSF level assay of TGF-beta1, TbetaR-II and LRG is useful for the diagnosis of patients with INPH, and TGF-beta1, TbetaR-II and LRG may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.