NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia.
Biomolecules. 2023 Oct 24;13(11):1568. doi: 10.3390/biom13111568.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment. Many possible factors might contribute to the development of AD, including amyloid peptide and tau deposition, but more recent evidence suggests that neuroinflammation may also play an-at least partial-role in its pathogenesis. In recent years, emerging research has explored the possible involvement of external, invading pathogens in starting or accelerating the neuroinflammatory processes in AD. In this narrative review, we advance the hypothesis that neuroinflammation in AD might be partially caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens entering the brain through the nose and the olfactory system. The olfactory system represents a plausible route for pathogen entry, given its direct anatomical connection to the brain and its involvement in the early stages of AD. We discuss the potential mechanisms through which pathogens may exploit the olfactory pathway to initiate neuroinflammation, one of them being accidental exposure of the olfactory mucosa to hands contaminated with soil and feces when picking one's nose.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种复杂的神经退行性疾病，其特征是进行性认知能力下降和记忆障碍。许多可能的因素可能导致 AD 的发展，包括淀粉样肽和 tau 沉积，但最近的证据表明，神经炎症也可能在其发病机制中发挥作用。近年来，新兴的研究探讨了外部入侵病原体在启动或加速 AD 中的神经炎症过程中的可能作用。在这篇叙述性综述中，我们提出假设，认为 AD 中的神经炎症可能部分是由通过鼻子和嗅觉系统进入大脑的病毒、细菌和真菌病原体引起的。嗅觉系统代表了病原体进入的一个合理途径，因为它与大脑有直接的解剖连接，并且参与了 AD 的早期阶段。我们讨论了病原体可能通过嗅觉途径引发神经炎症的潜在机制，其中之一是当人们挖鼻子时，手上的土壤和粪便偶然接触到嗅觉黏膜。
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