Usefulness of -Synuclein as a Marker for Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease in Skin Biopsy (S22.005)

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to demonstrate that the detection of α-synuclein in skin biopsies may be a useful biomarker for diagnosis of Parkinson9s disease. Background Parkinson9s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by: Tremor, Rigidity, Akinesia/bradykinesia and Postural changes. Atypical Parkinsonism (AP) may be initially misdiagnosed as Parkinson9s disease; the lack of an early biomarker makes the differential diagnosis difficult. Design/Methods: Sixty skin biopsies from 30 patients with Parkinsonism Syndrome; 30 were taken from the retro auricular region in cervical area, and 30 in the lower back. These were evaluated immunohistochemically with α-synuclein antibody. Its expression was compared with 20 skin biopsies of normal control subjects. Midbrain sections from a patient with Parkinson9s disease were used as positive control to determine the cut-off dilution. Results: We investigate the frequency of intranuclear inclusions in spinous cells layer (SCL) and in pilosebaceous unit (PSU)and eccrine gland (EG); the analysis of patients with PD demonstrated strong, intranuclear positivity with small nodular accumulation of 1-2 µm in diameter. The number of cells with intranuclear inclusions in PD was contrasted against AP and normal control for the SCL, PSU and EG. Differences in the expression among the three structures were significant among PD, AP and control (Kruskall-Wallis, p= Conclusions: The detection of α-synuclein in skin biopsy is an effective, inexpensive method for distinguishing Atypical Parkinsonism from Parkinson9s disease in the early stage of the disease. It could be a safe and less invasive diagnostic marker of Parkinson9s disease. Supported by: COPOCYT (Consejo Potosino de Ciencia y Tecnologia) through grant FS1611. Disclosure: Dr. Rodriguez-Leyva has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim as a speaker. Dr. Renteria-Palomo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Calderon-Garciduenas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fuentes-Ahumada has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hernandez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mendoza-Esquivel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Castanedo-Cazares has nothing to disclose.