Levels of 24-hydroxycholesteryl esters in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective In this context, our study aimed to ascertain whether the esterification of 24-hydroxycholesterol, a process heavily affected by oxidative stress, is altered in ALS. Methods The study examined the level of 24-hydroxycholesteryl esters in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of 18 ALS patients by spectroscopic technique as Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Results The level of 24-hydroxycholesteryl esters in cerebrospinal fluid was found to be lower as the brain-blood barrier was damaged. Such a level was positively correlated with the level of esters in plasma. Both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) level and plasma level were lower in ALS patients (60.05 ± 4.24 % and 54.07 ± 20.37 % respectively) than in controls (79.51 ± 2.47 % and 80.07 ± 10.02 % respectively). Conclusions The data suggest that the level 24-hydroxycholesteryl esters might be a new biomarker of ALS and can be measured for monitoring the disease progression.