Department of Geriatrics, Xijing Hospital, Medical University of the Air Force, Xi`an, 710032, China.
Department of Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of Yan`an University, Yan`an, 716000, China.
Curr Drug Targets. 2018;19(9):1038-1044. doi: 10.2174/1389450119666180406112050.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is most common neurodegenerative disorder of dementia, as we all know that ApoE4 is the greatest genetic risk factor of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Coronary heart disease (CHD) leads to one-fourth of all deaths in industrialized countries, it is reported that ApoE4 increases the risk of coronary heart disease as well. Furthermore, evidence show that coronary heart disease also increases the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Whether ApoE4 is a bridge connecting AD with CHD or not? And what are the special mechanism and therapeutic methods? Researchers found that cholesterol metabolic disorder is the common cause and risk factor of AD and CHD. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that carriers of the ApoE4 allele have higher cholesterol plasma concentration. More evidence indicate that hypercholesterolemia accelerates the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, damages the central nervous system blood-brain barrier, promotes Aβ protein production and Tau deposition in brain. Therefore, ApoE4 is likely to be the bridge between AD and CHD, and may be a potentially promising therapeutic target.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是最常见的痴呆神经退行性疾病，众所周知，ApoE4 是晚发性阿尔茨海默病（LOAD）最大的遗传风险因素。冠心病（CHD）导致在工业化国家中四分之一的人死亡，据报道，ApoE4 也会增加患冠心病的风险。此外，有证据表明冠心病也会增加阿尔茨海默病的发病率。ApoE4 是否是连接 AD 与 CHD 的桥梁？其特殊的机制和治疗方法是什么？研究人员发现，胆固醇代谢紊乱是 AD 和 CHD 的共同病因和危险因素。流行病学研究表明，ApoE4 等位基因携带者的血浆胆固醇浓度更高。更多证据表明，高胆固醇血症会加速冠状动脉粥样硬化的进展，损害中枢神经系统的血脑屏障，促进脑内 Aβ 蛋白的产生和 Tau 沉积。因此，ApoE4 可能是 AD 和 CHD 之间的桥梁，并且可能是一个有前途的潜在治疗靶点。
