中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2025, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (9): 2556-2570.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-24-00286

• 综述:退行性病与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化的血液诊断和预后生物标志物

  

  • 出版日期:2025-09-15 发布日期:2024-12-28

Blood diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Yongting Lv1 , Hongfu Li1, 2, 3, *   

  1. 1 Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China;  2 Department of Medical Genetics and Center for Rare disease, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China;  3 Nanhu BrainComputer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • Online:2025-09-15 Published:2024-12-28
  • Contact: Hongfu Li, MD, PhD, hongfuli@zju.edu.cn.

摘要:

肌萎缩侧索硬化是一种致死性的神经退行性疾病,以上下运动神经元受累为主要特征,具有快速进展、预后差、个体差异大等特征。因此,及时识别和早期干预是改善肌萎缩侧索硬化预后的重要手段。对于经典肌萎缩侧索硬化,目前主要依靠病史、查体和肌电图来明确诊断。对于非典型肌萎缩侧索硬化则往往需要依靠各种标记物,例如生物标记物、影像标记物、遗传学标记物等。其中血液和脑脊液中的生物标记物是肌萎缩侧索硬化的研究热点。文章首先对肌萎缩侧索硬化生物标记物进行了系统分类,根据其作用分为诊断性、预后性和预测性,根据其来源则分为神经源性、肌源性。然后对各类生物标记物的特点、检测手段、临床用途、局限性进行了系统论述。在肌萎缩侧索硬化生物标记物研究中最为热门的是神经丝蛋白轻链和43kDa TAR DNA结合蛋白。目前利用单分子序列技术已经能够准确测出神经丝蛋白轻链的水平,而且其血清水平与脑脊液水平具有高度一致性,兼具诊断和预后评估两大作用。理论上,43kDa TAR DNA结合蛋白是肌萎缩侧索硬化的特异性标记物,具有良好的诊断价值,但受限于目前的检测技术,很难区分生理性和病理性43kDa TAR DNA结合蛋白。因此,发展和普及新兴的检测技术、探索新的生物标记物有助于未来肌萎缩侧索硬化的早期诊断,甚至有助于找到肌萎缩侧索硬化的治疗靶点。

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2203-0046 (Hongfu Li)

Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating neurodegenerative disease for which the current treatment approaches remain severely limited. The principal pathological alterations of the disease include the selective degeneration of motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord, as well as abnormal protein deposition in the cytoplasm of neurons and glial cells. The biological markers under extensive scrutiny are predominantly located in the cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and even urine. Among these biomarkers, neurofilament proteins and glial fibrillary acidic protein most accurately reflect the pathologic changes in the central nervous system, while creatinine and creatine kinase mainly indicate pathological alterations in the peripheral nerves and muscles. Neurofilament light chain levels serve as an indicator of neuronal axonal injury that remain stable throughout disease progression and are a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker with high specificity and sensitivity. However, there are challenges in using neurofilament light chain to differentiate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from other central nervous system diseases with axonal injury. Glial fibrillary acidic protein predominantly reflects the degree of neuronal demyelination and is linked to non-motor symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis such as cognitive impairment, oxygen saturation, and the glomerular filtration rate. TAR DNA-binding protein 43, a pathological protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is emerging as a promising biomarker, particularly with advancements in exosome-related research. Evidence is currently lacking for the value of creatinine and creatine kinase as diagnostic markers; however, they show potential in predicting disease prognosis. Despite the vigorous progress made in the identification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis biomarkers in recent years, the quest for definitive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers remains a formidable challenge. This review summarizes the latest research achievements concerning blood biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that can provide a more direct basis for the differential diagnosis and prognostic assessment of the disease beyond a reliance on clinical manifestations and electromyography findings.

Key words: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,  biomarker,  blood biomarkers,  diagnosis,  glial fibrillary acidic protein,  neurofilament light chain,  prognosis,   TAR DNA-binding protein 43