Maintained regulation of polyamines in spinal cord from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Levels of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine were investigated in postmortem spinal cord from seven patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and seven control subjects. The method consisted of precolumn derivatization of the polyamines, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and fluorescence detection. The stability of the polyamines was examined in rat spinal cord during the interval of 0-36 h postmortem. The levels of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine increased by 32%, 15%, and 2%, respectively. Polyamine levels did not differ significantly between the ALS group and the control group, suggesting a maintained regulation of polyamines in the end stage of the disease. However, an effect of gender on the levels of spermidine and spermine was observed. Levels of spermidine and spermine in the ventral horn region of female ALS patients were significantly higher in comparison with the same region of the male ALS group (p<0.05). The female ALS group also presented significantly higher levels of spermidine in comparison with female controls (p<0.05).