HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) 076448.Supplemental Data All Versions of this Article: clinchem.2006.076448v1 53/2/326    most recent Submit an electronic Letter to the Editor about this paper Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Obeid, R. Articles by Herrmann, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Obeid, R. Articles by Herrmann, W. Related Collections General Clinical Chemistry

Biomarkers of Folate and Vitamin B₁₂ Are Related in Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Departments of¹ Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine and ² Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany.

^aAddress correspondence to this author at: Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital of the Saarland, Kirrberger Straße, Gebäude 57, 66421 Homburg, Germany. Fax 49-6841-1630703; e-mail kchwher{at}uniklinikum-saarland.de.

Background: B-vitamins (folate, B₁₂) are important micronutrients for brain function and essential cofactors for homocysteine (HCY) metabolism. Increased HCY has been related to neurological and psychiatric disorders. We studied the role of the B-vitamins in HCY metabolism in the brain.

Methods: We studied blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 72 patients who underwent lumbar puncture. We measured HCY, methylmalonic acid (MMA), and cystathionine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; and the B-vitamins by HPLC or immunoassays.

Results: Concentrations were lower in CSF than serum or plasma for HCY (0.09 vs 9.4 µmol/L), SAH (13.2 vs 16.8 nmol/L), cystathionine (54 vs 329 nmol/L), and holotranscobalamin (16 vs 63 pmol/L), whereas concentrations in CSF were higher for MMA (359 vs 186 nmol/L) and SAM (270 vs 113 nmol/L; all P <0.05). CSF concentrations of HCY correlated significantly with CSF folate (r = –0.46), CSF SAH (r = 0.48), CSF-albumin (r = 0.31), and age (r = 0.32). Aging was also associated with lower concentrations of CSF-folate and higher CSF-SAH. The relationship between serum and CSF folate depended on serum folate: the correlation (r) of serum and CSF-folate was 0.69 at serum folate <15.7 nmol/L. CSF concentrations of MMA and holotranscobalamin were not significantly correlated.

Conclusions: CSF and serum/plasma concentrations of vitamin biomarkers are significantly correlated. Older age is associated with higher CSF-HCY and CSF-SAH and lower CSF-folate. These metabolic alterations may be important indicators of low folate status, hyperhomocysteinemia, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:

				C. Wagner and M. J Koury S-Adenosylhomocysteine a better indicator of vascular disease than homocysteine? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2007; 86(6): 1581 - 1585. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Obeid, M. Kasoha, J.-P. Knapp, P. Kostopoulos, G. Becker, K. Fassbender, and W. Herrmann Folate and Methylation Status in Relation to Phosphorylated Tau Protein(181P) and {beta}-Amyloid(1-42) in Cerebrospinal Fluid Clin. Chem., June 1, 2007; 53(6): 1129 - 1136. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]