Leveraging Inflammatory Plasma Protein Ratios for Enhanced Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis

초록

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. Accurate and early diagnosis remains challenging due to symptom overlap with other disorders and the lack of blood-based biomarkers. Inflammation is increasingly recognized as a central mechanism in PD pathogenesis, motivating the search for inflammatory biomarkers. To identify plasma-based inflammatory protein biomarkers and evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of individual proteins and their ratios using Olink Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) and absolute quantification platforms. We analyzed plasma samples from Dopa PET-confirmed PD patients and healthy controls using the Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel. Diagnostic performance was assessed via logistic regression models, including protein ratios computed as NPX value differences. Targeted proteins were further validated using Luminex and Olink Flex platforms in a separate cohort. Correlations with PD severity (UPDRS, Hoehn & Yahr) were assessed using Pearson’s correlation. Our findings support the use of inflammatory protein ratios as promising blood-based biomarkers for PD diagnosis. Additionally, absolute concentrations may serve as a potential prognostic marker. Further research is warranted to validate these findings in larger longitudinal studies and to explore their clinical utility in improving PD management.