Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Neurosci Bull. 2011 Apr;27(2):115-22. doi: 10.1007/s12264-011-1205-3.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangle formation. Monocyte is part of the innate immune system and can effectively remove dead cells and debris. It has been suggested that Aβ can recruit monocytes into brain in AD mice, resulting in restriction of cerebral amyloidosis. However, monocyte may act as a double-edged sword, either beneficial (e.g., clearance of Aβ) or detrimental (e.g., secretion of neurotoxic factors). In addition, recent studies indicate that in AD patients, Aβ phagocytosis by monocytes is ineffective. The present review mainly summarized the current knowledge on monocytes and their potential roles in AD.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种神经退行性疾病，其特征是细胞外淀粉样β（Aβ）沉积和细胞内神经原纤维缠结形成。单核细胞是固有免疫系统的一部分，能够有效清除死亡细胞和碎片。有研究表明，Aβ可以在 AD 小鼠中募集单核细胞进入大脑，从而限制脑淀粉样变性。然而，单核细胞可能是一把双刃剑，既有益（例如，清除 Aβ）也有害（例如，分泌神经毒性因子）。此外，最近的研究表明，在 AD 患者中，单核细胞对 Aβ的吞噬作用是无效的。本综述主要总结了目前关于单核细胞及其在 AD 中潜在作用的知识。
