Distinct neuroinflammatory profile in post-mortem human... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)

CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROPATHOLOGY

Distinct neuroinflammatory profile in post-mortem human Huntington's disease

Silvestroni, Aurelioa; Faull, Richard L.M.d; Strand, Andrew D.c; Möller, Thomasa b

aDepartment of Neurology

bCenter for Neurogenetics and Neurotherapeutics, School of Medicine, University of Washington

cDivision of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

dDepartment of Anatomy with Radiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Correspondence to Dr Thomas Möller, PhD, Department of Neurology, University of Washington, PO Box 356465, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

Tel: +1 206 616 6301; fax: +1 206 616 8272; e-mail: [email protected]

Received 8 May 2009 accepted 14 May 2009

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is a prominent feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, however, little is known about neuroinflammation in Huntington's disease. We used quantitative real time-PCR to compare the expression level of neuroinflammation-associated mediators in the striatum, cortex, and cerebellum from post-mortem Huntington's disease patient samples with controls. We found increased expression of several key inflammatory mediators, including CCL2 and IL-10, specifically in the striatum of Huntington's disease patients, the main area affected by this pathology. Remarkably, we also found upregulation of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP9, in the cortex and notably the cerebellum, a brain area commonly thought to be spared by Huntington's disease. Our data suggest that neuroinflammation is a prominent feature associated with Huntington's disease and may constitute a novel target for therapeutic intervention.