The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology
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J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. · Jan 2021
Cholesterol metabolites and plant sterols in cerebrospinal fluid are associated with Alzheimer's cerebral pathology and clinical disease progression.
Altered cholesterol metabolism is associated with increased risk of neurodegeneration and in particular with the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigate whether non-cholesterol sterols and oxysterols in the central nervous system are associated with (i) the presence of cerebral AD pathology, (ii) distinct aspects of AD pathology, i.e. amyloid pathology, neuronal injury, and tau pathology, and (iii) cognitive decline over time. ⋯ We show the importance of CSF levels of several non-cholesterol sterols and oxysterols to AD and core AD biomarkers. The plant sterols campesterol and sitosterol appear to be involved in tau pathology and neurodegeneration. CSF desmosterol level indicates CNS cholesterol synthesis and might be of relevance for clinical disease severity. Therefore these non-cholesterol sterols may represent intervention targets to slow down disease progression.