YKL-40 and LAMPs as possible markers in neuroinflammation and autophagy during central nervous system infections

Abstract

Central nervous system infections continue to be a public health concern owing to the high mortality and the significant neurological sequelae among survivors. The diverse etiology with overlapping clinical and laboratory abnormalities makes the management of such patients challenging. Neuroinflammation plays an essential role in triggering oxidative stress and autophagy dysregulation. Impaired autophagy may lead to abnormal protein aggregation resulting in neurodegeneration. YKL-40 is a secreted glycoprotein, involved in several diseases accompanied by inflammation. The lysosome-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) 1 and 2 exhibit diverse expression levels in a range of cell processes (including autophagy) and clinical conditions but the complete picture of their biological function is still unknown. This review highlights the role of YKL-40 and LAMPs in central nervous system infections. We suggest that these biomolecules might have a promising value as biomarkers or targets for therapy and could provide additional evidence for inflammatory activity in different neurological diseases.

Keywords

• ykl-40
• LAMP-1
• LAMP-2
• central nervous system infections