Association of peripheral blood NLRP3, sTREM2, and p-tau217 levels with cognitive outcomes in patients with chronic alcohol-related brain damage.
Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
Although NLRP3, sTREM2, and p-tau217 are important in Alzheimer's disease (AD), their relevance in alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is unclear. This study aimed to compare these biomarkers in patients with ARBD, non-alcoholic AD, and alcohol dependence without encephalopathy, and to examine their links to cognitive function. This cross-sectional study included 45 ARBD patients, 41 non-alcoholic AD patients, and 39 alcohol-dependent patients without encephalopathy. We measured peripheral serum levels of NLRP3, sTREM2, and p-tau217 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and assessed cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate group differences and associations with ARBD. ARBD patients exhibited higher levels of inflammatory markers and more severe anxiety and depression than other groups. Serum sTREM2 was significantly highest in the ARBD group compared to both non-alcoholic AD and alcohol-dependent groups (P < .05). NLRP3 was also elevated in ARBD patients compared to the alcohol-dependent group (P = .005). No significant group differences were found for p-tau217. After adjusting for confounders, sTREM2 was significantly associated with cognitive, alcohol use, and mood scores, whereas NLRP3 was associated only with alcohol use and cognitive scores. Both sTREM2 and NLRP3 were independent predictors of ARBD. ROC analysis demonstrated that sTREM2 had the
Abstract
Although NLRP3, sTREM2, and p-tau217 are important in Alzheimer's disease (AD), their relevance in alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is unclear. This study aimed to compare these biomarkers in patients with ARBD, non-alcoholic AD, and alcohol dependence without encephalopathy, and to examine their links to cognitive function. This cross-sectional study included 45 ARBD patients, 41 non-alcoholic AD patients, and 39 alcohol-dependent patients without encephalopathy. We measured peripheral serum levels of NLRP3, sTREM2, and p-tau217 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and assessed cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate group differences and associations with ARBD. ARBD patients exhibited higher levels of inflammatory markers and more severe anxiety and depression than other groups. Serum sTREM2 was significantly highest in the ARBD group compared to both non-alcoholic AD and alcohol-dependent groups (P < .05). NLRP3 was also elevated in ARBD patients compared to the alcohol-dependent group (P = .005). No significant group differences were found for p-tau217. After adjusting for confounders, sTREM2 was significantly associated with cognitive, alcohol use, and mood scores, whereas NLRP3 was associated only with alcohol use and cognitive scores. Both sTREM2 and NLRP3 were independent predictors of ARBD. ROC analysis demonstrated that sTREM2 had the highest diagnostic accuracy for ARBD (AUC = 0.814), significantly outperforming NLRP3 (AUC = 0.671) and p-tau217 (AUC = 0.590). Serum sTREM2 and NLRP3 are promising peripheral biomarkers for ARBD. sTREM2, in particular, shows a strong association with clinical severity and demonstrates robust diagnostic potential, supporting its utility in the diagnosis and pathophysiological understanding of ARBD.