BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs have been postulated as potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Exosomes are nanovesicles which transport microRNAs, proteins, and other cargos. It has been hypothesized that the exosome traffic might be increased in neurodegenerative disorders.

OBJECTIVE: i) To assess the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microRNA profile in a group of AD patients and control subjects and to validate a group of microRNAs previously reported by other authors. ii) To compare microRNA levels in whole CSF and in the exosome-enriched fraction in AD patients.

METHODS: A panel of 760 microRNAs was analyzed in the CSF of 10 AD patients and 10 healthy subjects. Among microRNAs differently expressed, we selected those that had been previously reported by other authors. Candidates were validated in a larger group by individual qPCR assays. MicroRNA expression was also evaluated in exosome-enriched CSF samples of patients with AD and controls.

RESULTS: Fifteen microRNAs were differently expressed in AD. MiR-9-5p, miR-134, and miR-598 were selected as candidates for further analysis. MiR-9-5p and miR-598 were detected in 50 and 75% of control CSF samples, respectively, while they were not detected in any AD CSF samples. We observed an opposite pattern when we evaluated the microRNA expression in the exosome-enriched CSF AD samples. No pattern variations were noted among healthy subjects.

CONCLUSION: These data propose miR-9-5p and miR-598 as potential biomarkers for AD. Further studies in plasma and other body fluids will confirm their potential role as easily accessible biomarkers. In addition, our data suggest that exosome trafficking is different between AD and control subjects raising the need to take this phenomenon into consideration in future studies of AD biomarkers.