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Comparative Brain and Serum Exosome Expression of Biomarkers in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer-Type Neurodegeneration: Potential Relevance to Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics
Suzanne M. de la Monte, Yiwen Yang, Anjali Prabhu, Ming Tong. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025-04-28
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The development of more effective disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is compromised by the lack of streamlined measures to detect and monitor the full spectrum of neurodegeneration, including white matter pathology, which begins early. This study utilized an established intracerebral streptozotocin (STZ) model of AD to examine the potential utility of a non-invasive serum extracellular vesicle (SEV)-based liquid biopsy approach for detecting a broad range of molecular pathologies related to neurodegeneration. The design enabled comparative analysis of immunoreactivity in frontal lobe tissue (FLTX), frontal lobe-derived EVs (FLEVs), and SEVs. Long Evans rats were administered i.c. STZ or saline (control) on postnatal day 3 (P3). Morris Water Maze testing was performed from P24 to P27. On P31-32, the rats were sacrificed to harvest FLTX and serum for EV characterization. STZ caused brain atrophy, with deficits in spatial learning and memory. STZ significantly impacted FLEV and SEV nanoparticle abundance and size distributions and concordantly increased AD (Tau, pTau, and Aβ) and oxidative stress (ubiquitin, 4-HNE) biomarkers, as well as immunoreactivity to immature oligodendrocyte (PLP), non-myelinating glial (PDGFRA, GALC) proteins, MAG, nestin, and GFAP in FLTX and FLEV. The SEVs also exhibited concordant STZ-related effects, but they were limited to increased levels of 4-HNE, PLP, PDGFRA, GALC, MAG, and GFAP. The findings suggest that non-invasive EV-based liquid biopsy approaches could potentially be used to detect and monitor some aspects of AD-type neurodegeneration. Targeting brain-specific EVs in serum will likely increase the sensitivity of this promising non-invasive approach for diagnostic and clinical management.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
de la Monte, S. M., Yang, Y., Prabhu, A., & Tong, M. (2025). Comparative Brain and Serum Exosome Expression of Biomarkers in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer-Type Neurodegeneration: Potential Relevance to Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26094190
Vancouver
de la Monte SM, Yang Y, Prabhu A, Tong M. Comparative Brain and Serum Exosome Expression of Biomarkers in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer-Type Neurodegeneration: Potential Relevance to Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025. doi:10.3390/ijms26094190. PMID: 40362426.
BibTeX
@article{delamonte2025-40362426,
author = {de la Monte, Suzanne M. and Yang, Yiwen and Prabhu, Anjali and Tong, Ming},
title = {{Comparative Brain and Serum Exosome Expression of Biomarkers in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer-Type Neurodegeneration: Potential Relevance to Liquid Biopsy Diagnostics}},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/ijms26094190},
pmid = {40362426},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26094190}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- STZ significantly impacted FLEV and SEV nanoparticle abundance and size distributions and concordantly increased AD (Tau, pTau, and Aβ) and oxidative stress (ubiquitin, 4-HNE) biomarkers, as well as immunoreactivity to immature oligodendrocyte (PLP), non-myelinating glial (PDGFRA, GALC) proteins, MAG, nestin, and GFAP in FLTX and FLEV.
- The findings suggest that non-invasive EV-based liquid biopsy approaches could potentially be used to detect and monitor some aspects of AD-type neurodegeneration.
Why it matters
In a rat model of Alzheimer's-type brain changes, a blood-based test using serum extracellular vesicles detected some markers of Alzheimer's and oxidative stress seen in brain tissue. This is early animal research, and the authors suggest such a liquid biopsy approach could potentially help detect and monitor some aspects of this type of neurodegeneration, but it has not been tested in people.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 34/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International Journal of Molecular Sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | International Journal of Molecular Sciences: journal h-index 426 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 2 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Ming Tong: h-index 6 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Brown University: institution h-index 1,120 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40362426) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 34 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3390/ijms26094190
- PubMed: 40362426
- Original source →
- Free full text: International Journal of Molecular Sciences →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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