Serum Uric Acid Level as a Biomarker in Idiopathic and Genetic (p.A53T Alpha-Synuclein Carriers) Parkinson’s Disease: Data from the PPMI Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Koros, Christos^{a; b} | Simitsi, Athina-Maria^a | Papadimitriou, Dimitra^c | Bougea, Anastasia^a | Prentakis, Andreas^{a; d} | Papagiannakis, Nikolaos^a | Pachi, Ioanna^{a; b} | Bozi, Maria^b | Antonelou, Roubina^b | Angelopoulou, Efthalia^a | Beratis, Ion^b | Papageorgiou, Sokratis G.^b | Trapali, Xenia Geronicola^d | Stamelou, Maria^{a; e; f} | Stefanis, Leonidas^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] 1st Neurology Clinic, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece | [b] 2nd Neurology Clinic, Attikon Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece | [c] Neurology Clinic, Henry Dunan Hospital, Athens, Greece | [d] Nuclear Medicine Unit, Attikon Hospital, Athens, Greece | [e] Neurology Clinic, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany | [f] Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders Dept., HYGEIA Hospital, Athens, Greece

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Leonidas Stefanis, MD, PhD, 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece and Center of Clinical Research, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Vasilisis Sofias 72 str, 11528 Athens, Greece. Tel.: +30 2107289405; Fax: +30 2107257621; E-mail: lstefanis@bioacademy.gr.

Abstract: Background:Blood uric acid level represents an emerging biomarker in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Whether uric acid levels change in genetic forms of PD is just beginning to be explored. Objective:The aim of the present study was to assess differences in serum uric acid level among PD patients harboring the p.A53T mutation in the alpha-synuclein gene, idiopathic PD, and healthy controls. Methods:Longitudinal 5-year serum uric acid measurement data of 369 de novo idiopathic PD patients and 174 age- and gender-matched healthy controls have been downloaded from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. Furthermore, we assessed baseline serum uric acid measurements of 24 p.A53T alpha-synuclein PD patients enrolled in PPMI and followed in our site as compared to 24 age-, gender- and disease duration-matched sporadic PD patients and 24 healthy controls. Results:Longitudinal serum uric acid measurements did not differ statistically between idiopathic PD patients and healthy controls (despite a trend for lower uric acid in the PD group) (p = 0.879). This was also true when male and female subgroups were assessed separately. The p.A53T SNCA mutation carrier PD group exhibited lower baseline serum uric acid level as compared to their matched healthy controls (p = 0.025). Conclusion:In the present study we did not replicate the established lower serum uric acid measurements in PD patients as compared to controls using PPMI data, possibly due to the fact that PD patients in baseline visit were de novo and the average disease duration was shorter than that observed in most epidemiological PD studies. The faster progression rate and increased disease severity in p.A53T PD possibly correlate with the lower serum uric acid observed in this subgroup.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, uric acid, genetic, alpha-synuclein

DOI: 10.3233/JPD-191860

Journal: Journal of Parkinson's Disease, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 481-487, 2020