Elevated CSF angiopoietin-2 correlates with blood-brain barrier leakiness and markers of neuronal injury in early Alzheimer’s disease

Breakdown of the neurovascular unit is associated with blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakiness contributing to cognitive decline and disease pathology in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Vascular stability depends on angiopoietin-1 (ANGPT-1) signalling, antagonised by angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT-2) expressed upon endothelial injury. We examined the relationship between CSF ANGPT-2 and CSF markers of BBB leakiness and core AD biomarkers across three independent cohorts: (i) 31 AD patients and 33 healthy controls grouped according to their biomarker profile (i.e., AD cases t -tau > 400 pg/mL, p -tau > 60 pg/mL and Aβ42 < 550 pg/mL); (ii) 121 participants in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention or Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research study (84 participants cognitively unimpaired (CU) enriched for a parental history of AD, 20 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 17 with AD); (iii) a neurologically normal cohort aged 23–78 years with paired CSF and serum samples. CSF ANGPT-2, sPDGFRβ, albumin and fibrinogen levels were measured by sandwich ELISA. In cohort (i), CSF ANGPT-2 was elevated in AD and correlated with CSF t -tau and p -tau181 but not Aβ42. ANGPT-2 also correlated positively with CSF sPDGFRβ and fibrinogen – markers of pericyte injury and BBB leakiness. In cohort (ii), CSF ANGPT-2 was highest in MCI and correlated with CSF albumin in the CU and MCI cohorts but not in AD. CSF ANGPT-2 also correlated with CSF t -tau and p -tau and with markers of neuronal injury (neurogranin and α-synuclein) and neuroinflammation (GFAP and YKL-40). In cohort (iii), CSF ANGPT-2 correlated strongly with the CSF/serum albumin ratio. Serum ANGPT-2 showed non-significant positive associations with CSF ANGPT-2 and the CSF/serum albumin ratio. Together, these data indicate that CSF and possibly serum ANGPT-2 is associated with BBB leakiness in early AD and is closely related to tau pathology and neuronal injury. The utility of serum ANGPT-2 as a biomarker of BBB damage in AD requires further study.