Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA.
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Nova Southeastern University, 3300 S. University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33328, USA.
Biol Sex Differ. 2023 Aug 9;14(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s13293-023-00536-5.
BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is notably associated with cognitive decline resulting from impaired function of hippocampal and cortical areas; however, several other domains and corresponding brain regions are affected. One such brain region is the hypothalamus, shown to atrophy and develop amyloid and tau pathology in AD patients. The hypothalamus controls several functions necessary for survival, including energy and glucose homeostasis. Changes in appetite and body weight are common in AD, often seen several years prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms. Therefore, altered metabolic processes may serve as a biomarker for AD, as well as a target for treatment, considering they are likely both a result of pathological changes and contributor to disease progression. Previously, we reported sexually dimorphic metabolic disturbances in ~ 7-month-old 3xTg-AD mice, accompanied by differences in systemic and hypothalamic inflammation. METHODS: In the current study, we investigated metabolic outcomes and hypothalamic inflammation in 3xTg-AD males and females at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age to determine when these sex differences emerge. RESULTS: In agreement with our previous study, AD males displayed less weight gain and adiposity, as well as reduced blood glucose levels following a glucose challenge, compared to females. These trends were apparent by 6-9 months of age, coinciding with increased expression of inflammatory markers (Iba1, GFAP, TNF-α, and IL-1β) in the hypothalamus of AD males. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide additional evidence for sex-dependent effects of AD pathology on energy and glucose homeostasis, which may be linked to hypothalamic inflammation.
背景:阿尔茨海默病(AD)与海马和皮质区域功能障碍导致的认知能力下降显著相关;然而,其他几个领域和相应的大脑区域也受到影响。其中一个大脑区域是下丘脑,在 AD 患者中,下丘脑表现出萎缩,并出现淀粉样蛋白和tau 病理。下丘脑控制着生存所必需的几种功能,包括能量和葡萄糖稳态。AD 患者常出现食欲和体重变化,通常在认知症状出现前几年就会出现。因此,代谢过程的改变可能既是 AD 的生物标志物,也是治疗的靶点,因为它们既是病理变化的结果,也是疾病进展的原因。之前,我们报道了在~7 月龄的 3xTg-AD 小鼠中存在性别二态性代谢紊乱,伴有全身和下丘脑炎症的差异。
方法:在目前的研究中,我们在 3xTg-AD 雄性和雌性小鼠 3、6、9 和 12 个月时研究了代谢结果和下丘脑炎症,以确定这些性别差异何时出现。
结果:与我们之前的研究一致,AD 雄性小鼠与雌性小鼠相比,体重增加和肥胖程度较少,葡萄糖挑战后血糖水平也较低。这些趋势在 6-9 个月时就已经明显,与 AD 雄性小鼠下丘脑炎症标志物(Iba1、GFAP、TNF-α和 IL-1β)表达增加相吻合。
结论:这些发现为 AD 病理对能量和葡萄糖稳态的性别依赖性影响提供了更多证据,这可能与下丘脑炎症有关。
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