A Cross-Sectional Study: Systematic Quantification of Chemerin in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

Figures

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  Figure 1. Distribution of neurological diagnoses among study participants: 390 patients were divided into subgroups regarding their final neurological diagnosis. The diagnosis was provided by a board-certified neurologist. The figure displays prevalence of each neurological subgroup.

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  Figure 2. Chemerin levels in serum and CSF by BMI and gender: Chemerin levels in serum (A) and CSF (B) were elevated in overweight patients. There was no sexual dimorphism in chemerin serum quantities (C). Chemerin levels in CSF were higher in men (D). Chemerin levels were quantified by ELISA. The Mann–Whitney U test was applied for calculation. A p value for statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05 without correction for multiple comparisons. Data are displayed in boxplots. Boxplots display the median, lower and upper interquartile range. Whiskers mark minimum and maximum. CSF: cerebrospinal fluid.

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  Figure 3. Prevalence of blood/brain barrier dysfunction by gender: All patients were divided into two subgroups (no blood/brain barrier dysfunction; blood/brain barrier dysfunction). Within these subgroups, a division regarding gender was performed. The prevalence of dysfunctional blood/brain barrier was compared. Significantly more men exhibited signs of impaired blood/brain barrier dysfunction. Chi-Quadrat-Test was applied for calculation of p values and statistical significance (p < 0.05). Blood/brain barrier dysfunction was classified by the Neurochemical Laboratory of the University Hospital Giessen, Germany, as no blood/brain barrier dysfunction (n = 336) and blood/brain barrier dysfunction (n = 54).

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  Figure 4. Chemerin levels in serum by neurological diagnosis (A) and chemerin levels in CSF by neurological diagnosis (B). Chemerin levels were quantified by ELISA. Kruskal–Wallis test was applied for calculation of p values and statistical significance (p < 0.05) applying Bonferroni correction. Data are displayed in boxplots. Boxplots display the median, lower and upper interquartile range. Whiskers mark minimum and maximum. CSF: cerebrospinal fluid. Ctrl.: control; MS: multiple sclerosis; ID: infectious disease; Ep.: epilepsy; CVD: cerebrovascular disease; PC: pseudotumor cerebri.

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  Figure 5. Chemerin levels in CSF regarding inflammatory markers: Chemerin levels in CSF by oligoclonal band status (A). Chemerin Levels in CSF by cell count in CSF (B). Chemerin levels in CSF by grade of blood/brain barrier dysfunction (C). Chemerin levels were quantified by ELISA. Status of oligoclonal band, cell count in CSF and grading of blood/brain barrier dysfunction were provided by the Neurochemical Laboratory Giessen University Hospital, Germany. The Mann–Whitney U test (2 subgroups) and the Kruskal–Wallis test (>2 subgroups, applying Bonferroni correction) were applied for calculation of p values and statistical significance (p < 0.05). Data are displayed in boxplots. Boxplots display the median and lower and upper interquartile range. Whiskers mark minimum and maximum. CSF: cerebrospinal fluid.

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  Figure 6. Correlation analyses with chemerin serum and CSF levels in patients without indications of neurological disease. Correlation between chemerin levels in serum and BMI (A). Correlation between chemerin levels in serum and CRP (B). Correlation between chemerin levels in serum and chemerin CSF levels (C). Correlation between chemerin levels in CSF and age (D). Correlation between chemerin levels in CSF and CSF/serum albumin ratio (E). Correlation between CSF/serum chemerin ratio and CSF/serum albumin ratio (F). Chemerin levels were quantified by ELISA. The Spearman-rho test was applied for calculation of p values and statistical significance (p < 0.05). Statistical outliers > 3× standard deviation were excluded from analysis. BMI: body mass index; CRP: C-reactive protein; CSF: cerebrospinal fluid.