Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a growing concern in Egypt, yet biomarker research in this population is scarce. Identifying serum biomarkers is essential for early diagnosis and understanding disease mechanisms in underrepresented groups. METHODS: We performed serum proteomic profiling on 20 Egyptian dementia patients and 10 cognitively unimpaired controls from the Egyptian Dementia Registry using mass spectrometry. Differential protein expression and pathway enrichment analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Of 260 quantified proteins, 21 were significantly different between dementia patients and controls (P < 0.05). Several serine protease inhibitor and immunoglobulin family proteins were downregulated, while apolipoprotein A-II was upregulated in dementia. Enrichment analysis revealed associations with inflammation, complement activation, and lipid metabolism pathways. CONCLUSION: This is the first serum proteomic study of dementia in an Egyptian cohort, highlighting coordinated changes in protein families involved in inflammation and lipid metabolism, and emphasizing the importance of biomarker research in diverse populations. HIGHLIGHTS: The study presents initial proteomic data from the Egyptian Dementia Registry.The Egyptian population has been underrepresented in the area of dementia research.Serine protease inhibitor G1, apolipoprotein A-II, and lipopolysaccharide binding protein emerged as significant proteins.The work lays the foundation for more understanding of molecular determinants in dementia in the Middle East.