Neurofilament light chain (NfL) and peripheral neuropathy

Measurement of neurofilament light chain and peripheral neuropathy

Neurofilaments are the major cytoskeletal proteins of neurons in both the CNS and peripheral nervous system and form a lattice comprising neurofilament light (NfL), medium, and heavy (NfH) chains

• NfL
  • is a cytoskeleton protein expressed in large calibre myelinated axons
  • has a functional role in axonal growth and stability and a high expression in neuronal tissue
  • neuroaxonal damage in peripheral nerves results in the release of NfLthe extracellular space and peripheral blood, depending on the extent of damage
    
    
• has been shown that neurofilament light chain (NfL) concentration is elevated in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) (1)
  
  
• monitoring of sNfL during chemotherapy can indicate ongoing neuroaxonal injury and the severity of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) (2)
  
  
• a systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that blood-based measure of neurofilament light chain may be a useful indicator of neuronal injury in patients with peripheral neuropathy (3)

Reference:

• Sandelius A, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Adiutori R, Malaspina A, Laura M, Reilly MM, Rossor AM. Plasma neurofilament light chain concentration in the inherited peripheral neuropathies. Neurology. 2018 Feb 6;90(6):e518-e524.
• Kim SH, Choi MK, Park NY, Hyun JW, Lee MY, Kim HJ, Jung SK, Cha Y. Serum neurofilament light chain levels as a biomarker of neuroaxonal injury and severity of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. Sci Rep. 2020 May 14;10(1):7995.
• Fundaun J, Kolski M, Molina-Álvarez M, Baskozos G, Schmid AB. Types and Concentrations of Blood-Based Biomarkers in Adults With Peripheral Neuropathies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(12):e2248593. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.48593