Serum adiponectin levels between patients with Parkinson’s disease and those with PSP

Introduction Adiponectin receptors are expressed in the hypothalamus, brainstem, and basal ganglia. Experimentally, adiponectin was immunopositive in the phosphorylated α -synuclein-positive Lewy bodies in the brain of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and treatment with recombinant adiponectin suppressed the aggregation of α -synuclein. The close relationship between adiponectin and PD is suggested. Methods We assessed whether adiponectin levels may increase in patients with PD and differ in individuals with other neurodegenerative diseases. Blood samples were stored at − 70 °C. Adiponectin levels were measured using a latex turbidimetric immunoassay. Results Adiponectin levels of patients with PD ( p = 0.019) or PD plus multiple systemic atrophy with predominant parkinsonian features (MSA-P) ( p = 0.034) increased compared with those of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). A multivariate comparison using ANCOVA showed that the adiponectin level was significantly higher in PD plus MSA-P than in patient with PSP, which is independent of age and BMI (adjusted mean difference of 4.388 μg/ml [95% confidence interval 0.602–8.174, p = 0.024]). A significant positive correlation between adiponectin and HDL-C levels was observed in patients with PD on a single linear regression analysis ( β , 0.257; p