Forschungszentrum Jülich, ISB-3, 52424 Jülich, Germany.
ACS Chem Neurosci. 2010 Sep 15;1(9):639-48. doi: 10.1021/cn100057j. Epub 2010 Aug 2.
Several lines of evidence suggest that the amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Not only Aβ fibrils but also small soluble Aβ oligomers in particular are suspected to be the major toxic species responsible for disease development and progression. The present study reports on in vitro and in vivo properties of the Aβ targeting d-enantiomeric amino acid peptide D3. We show that next to plaque load and inflammation reduction, oral application of the peptide improved the cognitive performance of AD transgenic mice. In addition, we provide in vitro data elucidating the potential mechanism underlying the observed in vivo activity of D3. These data suggest that D3 precipitates toxic Aβ species and converts them into nonamyloidogenic, nonfibrillar, and nontoxic aggregates without increasing the concentration of monomeric Aβ. Thus, D3 exerts an interesting and novel mechanism of action that abolishes toxic Aβ oligomers and thereby supports their decisive role in AD development and progression.
有几条证据表明,β-淀粉样肽(Aβ)在阿尔茨海默病(AD)的发病机制中起核心作用。不仅 Aβ 纤维,而且特别是小的可溶性 Aβ 寡聚物,都被怀疑是导致疾病发展和进展的主要毒性物质。本研究报告了靶向 Aβ 的 D-对映体氨基酸肽 D3 的体外和体内特性。我们表明,除了斑块负荷和炎症减少外,该肽的口服应用还改善了 AD 转基因小鼠的认知表现。此外,我们提供了体外数据,阐明了观察到的 D3 体内活性的潜在机制。这些数据表明,D3 沉淀有毒的 Aβ 物质,并将其转化为非淀粉样、非纤维状且无毒的聚集体,而不会增加单体 Aβ 的浓度。因此,D3 发挥了一种有趣且新颖的作用机制,消除了有毒的 Aβ 寡聚物,从而支持它们在 AD 发展和进展中的决定性作用。