scholarly journals THE ROLE OF BETA-AMYLOID IN NORM AND AT ALZHEIMER`S DISEASE

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Yu. N. Tyshchenko ◽  
◽  
E.A. Lukyanetz ◽  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and memory loss. The pathogenesis of AD is complex, depends on many factors, and has not yet been fully studied. Extracellular deposits of amyloid-beta (Ab) peptide in the form of senile plaques, the formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and massive neuronal loss are considered as the main pathological signs of AD. However, recently there have been many data that indicate other pathways involved in the pathogenesis of AD. This review aims to analyze the existing data on the physiological role of Ab in the brain under normal conditions and its pathological role in Alzheimer’s disease.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6739
Author(s):  
Sharmeelavathi Krishnan ◽  
Yasaswi Shrestha ◽  
Dona P. W. Jayatunga ◽  
Sarah Rea ◽  
Ralph Martins ◽  
...  

Neurodegenerative diseases result in a range of conditions depending on the type of proteinopathy, genes affected or the location of the degeneration in the brain. Proteinopathies such as senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are prominent features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Autophagy is a highly regulated mechanism of eliminating dysfunctional organelles and proteins, and plays an important role in removing these pathogenic intracellular protein aggregates, not only in AD, but also in other neurodegenerative diseases. Activating autophagy is gaining interest as a potential therapeutic strategy for chronic diseases featuring protein aggregation and misfolding, including AD. Although autophagy activation is a promising intervention, over-activation of autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases that display impaired lysosomal clearance may accelerate pathology, suggesting that the success of any autophagy-based intervention is dependent on lysosomal clearance being functional. Additionally, the effects of autophagy activation may vary significantly depending on the physiological state of the cell, especially during proteotoxic stress and ageing. Growing evidence seems to favour a strategy of enhancing the efficacy of autophagy by preventing or reversing the impairments of the specific processes that are disrupted. Therefore, it is essential to understand the underlying causes of the autophagy defect in different neurodegenerative diseases to explore possible therapeutic approaches. This review will focus on the role of autophagy during stress and ageing, consequences that are linked to its activation and caveats in modulating this pathway as a treatment.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reale ◽  
Costantini ◽  
Jagarlapoodi ◽  
Khan ◽  
Belwal ◽  
...  

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most threatening neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by the loss of memory and language function, an unbalanced perception of space, and other cognitive and physical manifestations. The pathology of AD is characterized by neuronal loss and the extensive distribution of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). The role of environment and the diet in AD is being actively studied, and nutrition is one of the main factors playing a prominent role in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. In this context, the relationship between dementia and wine use/abuse has received increased research interest, with varying and often conflicting results. Scope and Approach: With this review, we aimed to critically summarize the main relevant studies to clarify the relationship between wine drinking and AD, as well as how frequency and/or amount of drinking may influence the effects. Key Findings and Conclusions: Overall, based on the interpretation of various studies, no definitive results highlight if light to moderate alcohol drinking is detrimental to cognition and dementia, or if alcohol intake could reduce risk of developing AD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (19) ◽  
pp. E2705-E2713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy K. Y. Fu ◽  
Kwok-Wang Hung ◽  
Michael Y. F. Yuen ◽  
Xiaopu Zhou ◽  
Deejay S. Y. Mak ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating condition with no known effective treatment. AD is characterized by memory loss as well as impaired locomotor ability, reasoning, and judgment. Emerging evidence suggests that the innate immune response plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AD. In AD, the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain perturbs physiological functions of the brain, including synaptic and neuronal dysfunction, microglial activation, and neuronal loss. Serum levels of soluble ST2 (sST2), a decoy receptor for interleukin (IL)-33, increase in patients with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that impaired IL-33/ST2 signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. Therefore, we investigated the potential therapeutic role of IL-33 in AD, using transgenic mouse models. Here we report that IL-33 administration reverses synaptic plasticity impairment and memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. IL-33 administration reduces soluble Aβ levels and amyloid plaque deposition by promoting the recruitment and Aβ phagocytic activity of microglia; this is mediated by ST2/p38 signaling activation. Furthermore, IL-33 injection modulates the innate immune response by polarizing microglia/macrophages toward an antiinflammatory phenotype and reducing the expression of proinflammatory genes, including IL-1β, IL-6, and NLRP3, in the cortices of APP/PS1 mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate a potential therapeutic role for IL-33 in AD.


2001 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Allsop ◽  
Lance J. Twyman ◽  
Yvonne Davies ◽  
Susan Moore ◽  
Amber York ◽  
...  

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in old age and presently affects an estimated 4 million people in the U.S.A. and 0.75 million people in the U.K. It is a relentless, degenerative brain disease, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. In the final stages of the disease, patients are often bedridden, doubly incontinent and unable to speak or to recognize close relatives. Pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease include extensive neuronal loss and the presence of numerous neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques in the brain. The senile plaques contain amyloid fibrils derived from a 39-43-amino-acid peptide referred to as ϐ-amyloid or Aϐ. The basic theory of the so-called 'amyloid hypothesis' is that the deposition of aggregated forms of Aϐ in the brain parenchyma triggers a pathological cascade of events that leads to neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuronal loss and the associated dementia [1]. Here we discuss progress towards the identification of inhibitors of Aϐ production and fibrillization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (52) ◽  
pp. E12427-E12434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hualong Wang ◽  
Xia Liu ◽  
Shengdi Chen ◽  
Keqiang Ye

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) neuropathological hallmarks include senile plaques with aggregated amyloid beta as a major component, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) containing truncated and hyperphosphorylated Tau, extensive neuronal loss, and chronic neuroinflammation. However, the key molecular mechanism that dominates the pathogenesis of AD remains elusive for AD. Here we show that the C/EBPβ/δ-secretase axis is activated in an age-dependent manner in different brain regions of the 3×Tg AD mouse model, elevating δ-secretase–truncated APP and Tau proteolytic truncates and promoting senile plaques and NFT formation in the brain, associated with gradual neuronal loss and chronic neuroinflammation. Depletion of inflammatory cytokine-regulated transcription factor C/EBPβ from 3×Tg mice represses APP, Tau, and δ-secretase expression, which subsequently inhibits APP and Tau cleavage, leading to mitigation of AD pathologies. Knockout of δ-secretase from 3×Tg mice strongly blunts AD pathogenesis. Consequently, inactivation of the C/EBPβ/δ-secretase axis ameliorates cognitive dysfunctions in 3×Tg mice by blocking APP and Tau expression and their pathological fragmentation. Thus, our findings support the notion that C/EBPβ/δ-secretase axis plays a crucial role in AD pathogenesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oh Kim ◽  
Juhyun Song

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory dysfunction, oxidative stress, and presence of senile plaques formed by amyloid beta (A β ) accumulation in the brain. AD is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. AD has a variety of risk factors, including environmental factors, metabolic dysfunction, and genetic background. Recent research has highlighted the relationship between AD and systemic metabolic changes such as glucose and lipid imbalance and insulin resistance. Irisin, a myokine closely linked to exercise, has been associated with glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and fat browning. Recent studies have suggested that irisin is involved in the process in central nervous system (CNS) such as neurogenesis and has reported the effects of irisin on AD as one of the neurodegenerative disease. Here, we review the roles of irisin with respect to AD and suggest that irisin highlight therapeutic important roles in AD. Thus, we propose that irisin could be a potential future target for ameliorating AD pathology and preventing AD onset.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1275-1287
Author(s):  
Seong Su Kang ◽  
Eun Hee Ahn ◽  
Keqiang Ye

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with age as a major risk factor. AD is the most common dementia with abnormal structures, including extracellular senile plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, as key neuropathologic hallmarks. The early feature of AD pathology is degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC), which is the main source of norepinephrine (NE) supplying various cortical and subcortical areas that are affected in AD. The spread of Tau deposits is first initiated in the LC and is transported in a stepwise manner from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus and then to associative regions of the neocortex as the disease progresses. Most recently, we reported that the NE metabolite DOPEGAL activates delta-secretase (AEP, asparagine endopeptidase) and triggers pathological Tau aggregation in the LC, providing molecular insight into why LC neurons are selectively vulnerable to developing early Tau pathology and degenerating later in the disease and how δ-secretase mediates the spread of Tau pathology to the rest of the brain. This review summarizes our current understanding of the crucial role of δ-secretase in driving and spreading AD pathologies by cleaving multiple critical players, including APP and Tau, supporting that blockade of δ-secretase may provide an innovative disease-modifying therapeutic strategy for treating AD.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Mizuno

Neuroinflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microglia, macrophage-like resident immune cells in the brain, play critical roles in the inflammatory aspects of AD. Microglia may be activated by oligomeric and fibrillar species of amyloidβ(Aβ) that are constituents of senile plaques and by molecules derived from degenerated neurons, such as purines and chemokines, which enhance their migration and phagocytosis. The main neurotoxic molecules produced by activated microglia may be reactive oxygen species, glutamate, and inflammatory cytokines such as tumor-necrosis-factor-αand interleukin- (IL-) 1βThese molecules differentially induce neurotoxicity. Aβitself directly damages neurons. In terms of neuroprotective properties, microglia treated with fractalkine or IL-34 attenuate Aβneurotoxicity by Aβclearance and the production of antioxidants. Therefore, regulation of the microglial role in neuroprotection may be a useful therapeutic strategy for AD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4920
Author(s):  
Umar H. Iqbal ◽  
Emma Zeng ◽  
Giulio M. Pasinetti

The aggregation and accumulation of amyloid-β plaques and tau proteins in the brain have been central characteristics in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), making them the focus of most of the research exploring potential therapeutics for this neurodegenerative disease. With success in interventions aimed at depleting amyloid-β peptides being limited at best, a greater understanding of the physiological role of amyloid-β peptides is needed. The development of amyloid-β plaques has been determined to occur 10–20 years prior to AD symptom manifestation, hence earlier interventions might be necessary to address presymptomatic AD. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that amyloid-β peptides may play a role in innate immunity as an antimicrobial peptide. These findings, coupled with the evidence of pathogens such as viruses and bacteria in AD brains, suggests that the buildup of amyloid-β plaques could be a response to the presence of viruses and bacteria. This has led to the foundation of the antimicrobial hypothesis for AD. The present review will highlight the current understanding of amyloid-β, and the role of bacteria and viruses in AD, and will also explore the therapeutic potential of antimicrobial and antiviral drugs in Alzheimer’s disease.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa de Jesus R. de Paula ◽  
Fabiana Meira Guimarães ◽  
Breno Satler Diniz ◽  
Orestes Vicente Forlenza

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline, including memory loss, behavioral and psychological symptoms and personality changes. The neuropathological hallmarks of AD are the presence of neuritic (senile) plaques (NP) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), along with neuronal loss, dystrophic neurites, and gliosis. Neuritic plaques are extracellular lesions and their main constituent is the amyloid-b42 peptide (Ab42). Neurofibrillary tangles are intracellular lesions that are mainly composed of hyperphosphorylated TAU protein. In this article, we review the major hypotheses concerning the physiopathology of AD, focusing on the b-amyloid cascade as primary events (supported by the "baptists") and cytoskeletal abnormalities secondary to the hyperphosphorylation of protein TAU (as advocated by the "Tauists"). We further provide an integrative view of the physiopathology of AD.


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