Biomarker Potential of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Alzheimer‘s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

The advent of an accessible chemical biological marker that differentiates early, sporadic Alzheimer‘s disease (AD) from normal aging and other dementing illnesses, and identifies individuals with mild cognitive impairment who are destined to deteriorate to Alzheimer‘s dementia, would represent a major achievement in the evaluation and management of this common neurodegenerative disorder. Although several candidate biomarkers of sporadic AD have been identified and commercialized, none currently fulfill the criteria for an ideal test. In this article, we review evidence implicating blood heme oxygenase-1 mRNA/protein levels and a recently identified plasma heme oxygenase-1 suppressor factor as potential biomarkers of AD and mild cognitive impairment.

Keywords: :

• α1-antitrypsin
• Alzheimer‘s disease
• biomarker
• cerebrospinal fluid
• heme oxygenase-1
• mild cognitive impairment
• plasma

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The HOS/AAT neurodiagnostic has been licensed to Osta Biotechnologies (Montreal, Canada). The author has served as a consultant to Osta Biotechnologies, TEVA Neurosciences and Caprion Pharmaceuticals. He holds stock options in Osta and equity in Molecular Biometrics, LLC. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

CSH: Cysteamine; HO-1: Heme oxygenase-1.

Additional information

Funding

The HOS/AAT neurodiagnostic has been licensed to Osta Biotechnologies (Montreal, Canada). The author has served as a consultant to Osta Biotechnologies, TEVA Neurosciences and Caprion Pharmaceuticals. He holds stock options in Osta and equity in Molecular Biometrics, LLC. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.