TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand level in Alzheimer's disease.

In the present study, we determined the significance of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We characterized the expression of TRAIL protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum with ELISA and TRAIL mRNA in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with real-time PCR in 22 patients with AD and 20 control cases. We could not find TRAIL protein in the CSF samples. The concentration of TRAIL protein in sera from patients with AD was not different from controls. However, there was an inverse correlation between serum TRAIL levels and Mini-Mental State Examination scores in AD patients. Also we did not find significant difference in TRAIL mRNA in the PBMCs of patients with AD when compared with control group. Our data indicate that TRAIL serum level decreases in the late stage of disease.