Cofilin 1 Is an Extracellular Vesicle-Associated Plasma Biomarker of Parkinson's Disease in Humans

Parkinson's disease (PD) lacks reliable, minimally invasive biomarkers for diagnosis. This study aimed to identify and validate PD-specific plasma extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated proteins.

Plasma EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized. Proteomic profiling of total plasma EVs from PD patients and healthy controls was performed, and a candidate protein identified after analysis was validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic and precision-recall curve analysis. Disease specificity was examined in progressive supranuclear palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Histochemical and immunofluorescence analyses were conducted in human and mouse PD brain tissue.

Proteomic analysis identified distinct PD-specific EV proteins, including cofilin 1 (CFL1), which was significantly enriched in EVs isolated from PD. EV-CFL1 levels were significantly elevated in PD compared with healthy controls (p < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed strong diagnostic performance for EV-CFL1 (area under the curve 0.87). Also, EV CFL1 levels could distinguish PD from progressive supranuclear palsy patients (area under the curve 0.914). CFL1 was enriched in L1 cell adhesion molecule-positive EVs, indicating a possible neuronal origin. CFL1 was detected in both human and mouse PD brain sections. Importantly, EV-CFL1 levels were independent of age, disease stage, and motor severity.

EV-associated CFL1 represents a PD-specific, blood-based marker with strong diagnostic accuracy and can distinguish PD from atypical parkinsonism. The presence of CFL1 was confirmed in human and mouse PD brain tissue, and its accumulation in PD brain suggests a possible role in disease pathogenesis. ANN NEUROL 2026.