Milk Fat Globule Epidermal Growth Factor 8 (MFG-E8) Expression in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) plays an important role in the regulation of neuroinflammation. Studies have indicated it has altered expression in some neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which tau aggregates in neurons and glia. So far, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this disorder. To study whether MFG-E8 may play a role in the pathology of PSP, we carried out an immunohistochemical study on autopsy brain tissue from 6 PSP patients and 6 matched controls. We found MFG-E8 expression was significantly increased in neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) (P<0.01), pons (P=0.02) and medulla (P=0.04) of the PSP cases. However, no obvious changes of its expression were found in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, caudate, putamen, or cerebellum (P>0.05). The findings demonstrate that MFG-E8 may be partially associated with the pathogenesis of PSP. Further research focused on MFG-E8 may provide new insights into novel therapies for PSP.