Increase of Prokineticin-2 in Serum of Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Prokineticin-2 (PK2) is a chemokine involved in multiple physiological and pathological functions. Recent experimental evidence suggests an early activation of PK2 in nigrostriatal degeneration occurring in Parkinson's disease (PD), with potential neuroprotective effects. However, no data in vivo from PD patients have been collected up to date. In this pilot study, serum levels of PK2 were measured in a group of PD patients and correlated to clinical parameters and other markers of neurodegeneration. In addition, a preliminary measurement was also performed on CSF. Serum PK2 was significantly increased in PD patients and differentiated from controls with moderate accuracy. The associations with amyloid-?-42 and lactate CSF levels suggested a potential neuroprotective effect of PK2 pathway upregulation. Even CSF PK2 content tended to be higher in patients than controls. This study supports the relevance of PK2 either as a biomarker or a candidate target for disease-modifying treatment in PD. Further studies are now necessary to confirm and extend these observations.