Proof-Of-Principle Study of Inflammasome Signaling Proteins as Diagnostic Biomarkers of the Inflammatory Response in Parkinson's Disease

This study examines inflammasome signaling proteins as potential diagnostic biomarkers for Parkinson's Disease (PD), involving 32 PD patients and age-matched controls. It found that proteins such as caspase-1, ASC, and IL-18 were significantly elevated in PD patients, indicating a heightened inflammatory response. Caspase-1 showed the highest diagnostic accuracy with an AUC of 0.96. These findings suggest that inflammasome proteins could improve early detection and diagnosis of PD, offering a less invasive diagnostic method through blood plasma analysis. Further research is needed to distinguish PD from other neurodegenerative diseases using these biomarkers.