Wang X, et al. - In the present study, the researchers identified zonulin and C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) levels in MCI and Alzheimer disease (AD), and explored if there was an association between zonulin and CLEC-2. Using ELISA assay in 110 AD patients, 110 MCI patients, and 110 non-demented control individuals, CLEC-2 and zonulin levels were measured. In MCI and AD patients, increased CLEC-2 and zonulin levels were noted. Moreover, compared with MCI patients, AD patients had higher CLEC-2 and zonulin levels. Also, after adjusting confounding factors, CLEC-2 levels were positively linked to zonulin levels. According to multivariate analysis, increased levels of CLEC-2 and zonulin were significantly related to decreased mini-mental state examination score.