Abstract: Amyloid-beta clearance plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the variation in functional proteins involved in amyloid-beta clearance and their correlation with amyloid-beta levels remain unclear. In this study, we conducted meta-analyses and a systematic review using studies from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases, including journal articles published from inception to June 30, 2023. The inclusion criteria included studies comparing the levels of functional proteins associated with amyloid-beta clearance in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and brain of healthy controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment, and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, we analyzed the correlation between these functional proteins and amyloid-beta levels in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed via the Newcastle‒Ottawa Scale. Owing to heterogeneity, we utilized either a fixed-effect or random-effect model to assess the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the standard mean difference (SMD) among healthy controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment, and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The findings revealed significant alterations in the levels of insulin-degrading enzymes, neprilysin, matrix metalloproteinase-9, cathepsin D, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and P-glycoprotein in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, patients with mild cognitive impairment, and healthy controls. In cerebrospinal fluid, the levels of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 are altered, whereas the levels of TREM2, CD40, CD40L, CD14, CD22, cathepsin D, cystatin C, and α2 M in peripheral blood differ. Notably, TREM2 and cathepsin D showed changes in both brain (SMD = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.16–0.47, P < 0.001, I 2 = 78.4%; SMD = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.01–2.48, P = 0.048, I 2 = 90.1%) and peripheral blood (SMD = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.35–1.66, P = 0.003, I 2 = 96.5%; SMD = 7.55, 95% CI: 3.92–11.18, P < 0.001, I 2 = 98.2%) samples. Furthermore, correlations were observed between amyloid-beta levels and the levels of TREM2 (r = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04–0.28, P = 0.009, I 2 = 74.7%), neprilysin (r = –0.47, 95% CI: –0.80–0.14, P = 0.005, I 2 = 76.1%), and P-glycoprotein (r = –0.31, 95% CI: –0.51–0.11, P = 0.002, I 2 = 0.0%) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. These findings suggest that triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 and cathepsin D could serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, whereas triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, neprilysin, and P-glycoprotein may represent potential therapeutic targets.

Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-β, blood?brain barrier, cerebrospinal fluid, diagnostic biomarker, meta-analysis, mild cognitive impairment, peripheral blood, systematic review, therapeutic targets