Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of adipokines is considered a key mechanism of chronic inflammation in metabolic syndrome. Some adipokines affect food intake by crossing the blood/brain barrier. The adipokine chemerin is associated with metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and immune response. Little is known about chemerin's presence in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and its ability to cross the blood/CSF barrier. METHODS: We quantified chemerin levels in paired serum and CSF samples of 390 patients with different neurological diagnoses via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Correlation analyses of serum and CSF chemerin levels with anthropometric, serum and CSF routine parameters were performed. RESULTS: Overweight patients exhibited higher chemerin levels in serum and CSF. Chemerin CSF levels were higher in men. Chemerin levels in serum were associated with BMI (body mass index) and CRP (C-reactive protein). Chemerin levels in CSF were associated with age. Neurological diseases affected chemerin levels in CSF. The chemerin CSF/serum ratio was calculated as 96.3 ± 36.8 × 10(-3) for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: Our data present a basis for the development of standard values for chemerin quantities in CSF. CSF chemerin levels are differentially regulated in neurological diseases and affected by BMI and sex. Chemerin is able to cross the blood/CSF barrier under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.