scholarly journals In Vitro and In Vivo Efficacies of the Linear and the Cyclic Version of an All-d-Enantiomeric Peptide Developed for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6553
Author(s):  
Sarah Schemmert ◽  
Luana Cristina Camargo ◽  
Dominik Honold ◽  
Ian Gering ◽  
Janine Kutzsche ◽  
...  

Multiple sources of evidence suggest that soluble amyloid β (Aβ)-oligomers are responsible for the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In order to specifically eliminate these toxic Aβ-oligomers, our group has developed a variety of all-d-peptides over the past years. One of them, RD2, has been intensively studied and showed such convincing in vitro and in vivo properties that it is currently in clinical trials. In order to further optimize the compounds and to elucidate the characteristics of therapeutic d-peptides, several rational drug design approaches have been performed. Two of these d-peptides are the linear tandem (head-to-tail) d-peptide RD2D3 and its cyclized form cRD2D3. Tandemization and cyclization should result in an increased in vitro potency and increase pharmacokinetic properties, especially crossing the blood­–brain-barrier. In comparison, cRD2D3 showed a superior pharmacokinetic profile to RD2D3. This fact suggests that higher efficacy can be achieved in vivo at equally administered concentrations. To prove this hypothesis, we first established the in vitro profile of both d-peptides here. Subsequently, we performed an intraperitoneal treatment study. This study failed to provide evidence that cRD2D3 is superior to RD2D3 in vivo as in some tests cRD2D3 failed to show equal or higher efficacy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (41) ◽  
pp. 14015-14024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Cao ◽  
Daniel H. Anderson ◽  
Wilson Y. Liang ◽  
Joshua Chou ◽  
Lorena Saelices

The protective effect of transthyretin (TTR) on cellular toxicity of β-amyloid (Aβ) has been previously reported. TTR is a tetrameric carrier of thyroxine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, the pathogenic aggregation of which causes systemic amyloidosis. However, studies have documented a protective effect of TTR against cellular toxicity of pathogenic Aβ, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. TTR binds Aβ, alters its aggregation, and inhibits its toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we investigate whether the amyloidogenic ability of TTR and its antiamyloid inhibitory effect are associated. Using protein aggregation and cytotoxicity assays, we found that the dissociation of the TTR tetramer, required for its amyloid pathogenesis, is also necessary to prevent cellular toxicity from Aβ oligomers. These findings suggest that the Aβ-binding site of TTR may be hidden in its tetrameric form. Aided by computational docking and peptide screening, we identified a TTR segment that is capable of altering Aβ aggregation and toxicity, mimicking TTR cellular protection. EM, immune detection analysis, and assessment of aggregation and cytotoxicity revealed that the TTR segment inhibits Aβ oligomer formation and also promotes the formation of nontoxic, nonamyloid amorphous aggregates, which are more sensitive to protease digestion. Finally, this segment also inhibits seeding of Aβ catalyzed by Aβ fibrils extracted from the brain of an Alzheimer's patient. Together, these findings suggest that mimicking the inhibitory effect of TTR with peptide-based therapeutics represents an additional avenue to explore for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shady Estfanous ◽  
Kylene P. Daily ◽  
Mostafa Eltobgy ◽  
Nicholas P. Deems ◽  
Midhun N. K. Anne ◽  
...  

Autophagy is a proposed route of amyloid-β (Aβ) clearance by microglia that is halted in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), though mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remain elusive. Here, primary microglia from adult AD (5xFAD) mice were utilized to demonstrate that 5xFAD microglia fail to degrade Aβ and express low levels of autophagy cargo receptor NBR1. In 5xFAD mouse brains, we show for the first time that AD microglia express elevated levels of microRNA cluster Mirc1/Mir17-92a, which is known to downregulate autophagy proteins. By in situ hybridization in post-mortem AD human tissue sections, we observed that the Mirc1/Mir17-92a cluster member miR-17 is also elevated in human AD microglia, specifically in the vicinity of Aβ deposits, compared to non-disease controls. We show that NBR1 expression is negatively correlated with expression of miR-17 in human AD microglia via immunohistopathologic staining in human AD brain tissue sections. We demonstrate in healthy microglia that autophagy cargo receptor NBR1 is required for Aβ degradation. Inhibiting elevated miR-17 in 5xFAD mouse microglia improves Aβ degradation, autophagy, and NBR1 puncta formation in vitro and improves NBR1 expression in vivo. These findings offer a mechanism behind dysfunctional autophagy in AD microglia which may be useful for therapeutic interventions aiming to improve autophagy function in AD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (47) ◽  
pp. 23426-23436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Hee Park ◽  
Misun Lee ◽  
Geewoo Nam ◽  
Mingeun Kim ◽  
Juhye Kang ◽  
...  

As a central feature of neuroinflammation, microglial dysfunction has been increasingly considered a causative factor of neurodegeneration implicating an intertwined pathology with amyloidogenic proteins. Herein, we report the smallest synthetic molecule (N,N′-diacetyl-p-phenylenediamine [DAPPD]), simply composed of a benzene ring with 2 acetamide groups at the para position, known to date as a chemical reagent that is able to promote the phagocytic aptitude of microglia and subsequently ameliorate cognitive defects. Based on our mechanistic investigations in vitro and in vivo, 1) the capability of DAPPD to restore microglial phagocytosis is responsible for diminishing the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) species and significantly improving cognitive function in the brains of 2 types of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) transgenic mice, and 2) the rectification of microglial function by DAPPD is a result of its ability to suppress the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated proteins through its impact on the NF-κB pathway. Overall, our in vitro and in vivo investigations on efficacies and molecular-level mechanisms demonstrate the ability of DAPPD to regulate microglial function, suppress neuroinflammation, foster cerebral Aβ clearance, and attenuate cognitive deficits in AD transgenic mouse models. Discovery of such antineuroinflammatory compounds signifies the potential in discovering effective therapeutic molecules against AD-associated neurodegeneration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Lackie ◽  
Jose Marques-Lopes ◽  
Valeriy G. Ostapchenko ◽  
Sarah Good ◽  
Wing-Yiu Choy ◽  
...  

Abstract Molecular chaperones and co-chaperones, which are part of the protein quality control machinery, have been shown to regulate distinct aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology in multiple ways. Notably, the co-chaperone STI1, which presents increased levels in AD, can protect mammalian neurons from amyloid-β toxicity in vitro and reduced STI1 levels worsen Aβ toxicity in C. elegans. However, whether increased STI1 levels can protect neurons in vivo remains unknown. We determined that overexpression of STI1 and/or Hsp90 protected C. elegans expressing Aβ(3–42) against Aβ-mediated paralysis. Mammalian neurons were also protected by elevated levels of endogenous STI1 in vitro, and this effect was mainly due to extracellular STI1. Surprisingly, in the 5xFAD mouse model of AD, by overexpressing STI1, we find increased amyloid burden, which amplifies neurotoxicity and worsens spatial memory deficits in these mutants. Increased levels of STI1 disturbed the expression of Aβ-regulating enzymes (BACE1 and MMP-2), suggesting potential mechanisms by which amyloid burden is increased in mice. Notably, we observed that STI1 accumulates in dense-core AD plaques in both 5xFAD mice and human brain tissue. Our findings suggest that elevated levels of STI1 contribute to Aβ accumulation, and that STI1 is deposited in AD plaques in mice and humans. We conclude that despite the protective effects of STI1 in C. elegans and in mammalian cultured neurons, in vivo, the predominant effect of elevated STI1 is deleterious in AD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia R. Spilman ◽  
Veronique Corset ◽  
Olivia Gorostiza ◽  
Karen S. Poksay ◽  
Veronica Galvan ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingxia Liang ◽  
Frank Raven ◽  
Joseph F. Ward ◽  
Sherri Zhen ◽  
Siyi Zhang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Wen Lin ◽  
Chih-Hsiang Fang ◽  
Hung-Hsiang Liao ◽  
Feng Huei Lin

Abstract Background: Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides play a key role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia. AD is characterized by progressive cognitive and memory loss accompanied by personality changes. Bletilla striata, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in Eastern Asian countries for alimentary canal damage, ulcer, bleeding, bruises, and burns. in this study, we investigated whether BSP could prevent the ROS from Aβ and the possibility to recover from the disease by memory improvement.Methods: In this study, a polysaccharide from Bletilla striata (BSP) with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties was extracted following a low-temperature method and tested for its efficacy against AD in vitro using N2a and BV-2 cells and in vivo using AD rats.Results: The characterization of the extracted BSP for its molecular structure and the functional group demonstrated the efficiency of the modified method to retain its bioactivity. In vitro, BSP reduced ROS levels in N2a cells and the expression levels of inflammatory-related genes in BV-2 cells treated with Aβ fibrils. In vivo, BSP recovered the learning memory, ameliorated the morphological damages in the hippocampus and cortex, and reduced the expression of the β-secretase protein in AlCl3-induced AD rats.Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of BSP applicating in AD. Collectively, these findings demonstrated the efficacy of BSP to prevent and alleviate the effects of AD.


2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (7) ◽  
pp. 1593-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bacher ◽  
Richard Dodel ◽  
Bayan Aljabari ◽  
Kathy Keyvani ◽  
Philippe Marambaud ◽  
...  

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuronal atrophy caused by soluble amyloid β protein (Aβ) peptide “oligomers” and a microglial-mediated inflammatory response elicited by extensive amyloid deposition in the brain. We show that CNI-1493, a tetravalent guanylhydrazone with established antiinflammatory properties, interferes with Aβ assembly and protects neuronal cells from the toxic effect of soluble Aβ oligomers. Administration of CNI-1493 to TgCRND8 mice overexpressing human amyloid precursor protein (APP) for a treatment period of 8 wk significantly reduced Aβ deposition. CNI-1493 treatment resulted in 70% reduction of amyloid plaque area in the cortex and 87% reduction in the hippocampus of these animals. Administration of CNI-1493 significantly improved memory performance in a cognition task compared with vehicle-treated mice. In vitro analysis of CNI-1493 on APP processing in an APP-overexpressing cell line revealed a significant dose-dependent decrease of total Aβ accumulation. This study indicates that the antiinflammatory agent CNI-1493 can ameliorate the pathophysiology and cognitive defects in a murine model of AD.


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