Gender effects on plasma PGRN levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a preliminary study.

Plasma progranulin (PGRN) levels constitute a potentially invaluable biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and, perhaps, Alzheimer's disease (AD). We assessed plasma PGRN levels in 107 AD patients, 36 FTLD patients, and 107 controls. We found that, in female AD patients, there is a positive correlation between PGRN levels and age. Although no significant differences were found between patients and controls, we observed higher levels in females compared to males; in AD patients, a positive correlation between PGRN levels and age was observed in females. In conclusion, our data suggest that PGRN may not be a good biomarker for AD; moreover, gender may influence the plasma PGRN levels of AD patients.