# Specific Lipid Peroxidation Products in Erythrocytes and Their Relationship to the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

## TL;DR

This study shows that specific lipid peroxidation products in red blood cells could serve as blood-based markers for Alzheimer's disease, reflecting oxidative stress linked to the disease.

## Contribution

The study identifies erythrocyte-derived lipid peroxidation products as potential peripheral biomarkers specific to Alzheimer's pathology.

## Key findings

- AD individuals had significantly higher LFP levels compared to healthy controls and non-AD groups.
- LFP levels correlated with AD biomarkers like amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau in cerebrospinal fluid.
- LFP may reflect oxidative stress processes associated with Alzheimer's disease progression.

## Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly complex and multifactorial disorder in which oxidative stress acts as a key amplifying mechanism in the disease progression. Lipofuscin‐like pigments (LFP), end products of lipid peroxidation, reflect oxidative damage and are capable of crossing the blood–brain barrier into the circulation. Thus, erythrocyte‐derived LFP may serve as peripheral indicators of brain‐specific processes. In this study, we aimed to assess the specificity of previously identified LFP for AD pathology. We analysed erythrocyte‐derived LFP in individuals with biomarker‐verified AD pathology (n = 40) and non‐AD cognitive disorders (n = 21) across the prodromal and dementia stages, and in cognitively unimpaired individuals (n = 19). AD individuals showed significantly higher LFP levels compared with both healthy controls (p < 0.003) and the non‐AD group (p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, LFP levels correlated with established AD biomarkers in CSF, including amyloid‐beta (r > −0.566) and phosphorylated tau 181 (r < 0.477). Our findings suggest that LFP may serve as potential blood‐based biochemical markers reflecting oxidative stress–related processes associated with AD pathology.