Czupryna et al.
Assessment of the YKL-40 concentration in patients with tick-borne encephalitis
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2022;13(2):101895. doi: 10.1016/j.ttdis.2022.101895
Recently, a Polish team has shown that Neuron Specific Enolase and tau protein were increased in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in TBE patients, and these two proteins may be involved in neurodegeneration. Another protein, termed YKL-40 (chitinase-3 like [CHI3L]) may also be associated with acute and/or chronic inflammation processes. YKL-40 is a glycosyl hydrolase which is secreted by activated neutrophils and macrophages. in the central nervous system, this protein is mostly expressed by microglia, especially during inflammation processes.
The concentration of YKL-40 was measured in patients with meningoencephalitis (group 1) compared to patients with meningitis (group 2). YKL-40 concentrations in CSF were highest at the beginning of disease and decreased in the recovery phase. Patients with meningitis had significantly higher concentrations, and this was usually associated with mild disease symptoms. Previous studies have shown that YKL-40 in serum correlates with morbidity of different diseases. Further studies are needed to evaluate the involvement of YKL-40 in the neurodegeneration process.