Blood lysosphingolipids accumulation in patients with parkinson's disease with glucocerebrosidase 1 mutations.

Introduction: Glucocerebrosidase 1 mutations, the most common genetic contributor to Parkinson's disease (PD), have been associated with decreased glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity in PD patients with glucocerebrosidase 1 mutations (glucocerebrosidase 1-PD). However, it is unknown whether this decrease in enzymatic activity leads to lysosphingolipid accumulations.

Methods: The levels of hexosylsphingosines, globotriaosylsphingosine, sphingomyelin, and sphingomyelin-509 were measured in dried blood spots from glucocerebrosidase 1-PD patients (n = 23), sporadic PD patients (n = 105), Gaucher disease patients (n = 32), and controls (n = 88) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Plasma oligomeric alpha-synuclein is associated with glucocerebrosidase activity in Gaucher disease.

Background: The link between Parkinson's disease (PD) and Gaucher disease (GD), the most common lysosomal storage disease associated with loss of glucocerebrosidase (GBA) activity, can be explained by abnormal accumulation of oligomeric alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) species resulting from mutations in the GBA gene. However, in GD, the relationship between GBA activity and α-Syn accumulation in biological fluids has not been investigated.

Methods: We analyzed plasma oligomeric α-Syn levels, leucocyte GBA activity, and plasma chitotriosidase activity in 21 patients with GD.