Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Association of Fibroblast Growth Factor (Fgf-21) as a Screening Biomarker for Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplesia

Farnaz Farzaneh Dehkordi¹ , Massoud Houshmand², Majid Sadeghizadeh³, Mohsen Bahmani Kashkouli⁴, Gholamreza Javadi¹

¹Biology Department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University; ²Medical Genetics Department, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology; ³Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University; ⁴Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

For correspondence:- Farnaz Dehkordi Email: farzanehfarnaz2007@yahoo.com Tel:+989127336690

Received: 15 December 2013 Accepted: 19 January 2014 Published: 24 March 2014

Citation: Dehkordi FF, Houshmand M, Sadeghizadeh M, Kashkouli MB, Javadi G. Association of Fibroblast Growth Factor (Fgf-21) as a Screening Biomarker for Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplesia. Trop J Pharm Res 2014; 13(3):377-381 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v13i3.10

© 2014 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate whether or not fibroblast growth factor (FGF-21) can be used as a screening biomarker in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplesia (CPEO) patients.

Methods: FGF-21 concentration was measured in the serum of 24 patients with CEPO phenotype and 24 control samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and determined the deletion of mitochondrial genome by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: FGF-21 concentration in 50 % of CPEO patients showed notable differences from that in control subjects. FGF-21 concentration ratio in patient group, 2 disorder control groups (mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial) and normal group, respectively, was 294.87 ± 42.10 (p < 0.0001), 761.78± 75.07 (p < 0.0001), 124.26 ± 12.27 (p = 0.1203), 69.27 ± 10.09 (p = 0.2195). A statistically significant inverse correlation between FGF-21 concentration and age onset was found, with a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the age group ≤ 19 years (mean FGF-21 concentration, 460.36 pg/mL) and for the age group ≥ 51years (mean concentration FGF-21, 57.87 pg/mL. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between FGF-21 concentration and age in the mid-age group (20 – 50 years) .

Conclusion: These findings indicate that FGF-21 concentration significantly increases in CPEO patients like in other mitochondrial disorders and this factor can be used as a biomarker in primary diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders. In this regard, FGF-21 assay is only valid in teenagers and the > 50 years age group who show acute symptoms.

Keywords: Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplesia, Fibroblast growth factor-21, Mitochondrial disorders, Ophthalmoplesia, Biomarker