Background: Aberrant angiogenesis and senescence of the cerebrovascular system could initiate neurovascular events leading to neurovascular disorders. Fibronectin (FN) exerts a strong angiogenic influence on endothelial cells in the central nervous system.
Methods: In the present study the expression of the plasma fibronectin molecular forms in an Alzheimer patient group, compared with vascular dementia and age-matched control groups was analyzed by immunoblotting.
Results: FN in the plasma of the elderly individuals with and without dementia exists as a mixture of heterogeneous molecules with increasing molecular masses. Apart from the wide approximately 240-kDa and approximately 220-kDa FN bands, normally present in plasma, the high molecular FN forms having approximately 280 kDa and approximately 320 kDa appeared in the plasma of the Alzheimer dementia group more frequently and at the higher amounts than in the vascular dementia and age-matched nondemented groups.
Conclusions: The plasma FN molecular status seems to be a molecular additional biomarker for assessment of dementia risk.
2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.