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Chakrabarti KS, Bakhtiari D, Rezaei-Ghaleh N. Bifurcations in coupled amyloid-β aggregation-inflammation systems. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:80. [PMID: 39080352 PMCID: PMC11289389 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00408-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A complex interplay between various processes underlies the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its progressive course. Several lines of evidence point to the coupling between Aβ aggregation and neuroinflammation and its role in maintaining brain homeostasis during the long prodromal phase of AD. Little is however known about how this protective mechanism fails and as a result, an irreversible and progressive transition to clinical AD occurs. Here, we introduce a minimal model of a coupled system of Aβ aggregation and inflammation, numerically simulate its dynamical behavior, and analyze its bifurcation properties. The introduced model represents the following events: generation of Aβ monomers, aggregation of Aβ monomers into oligomers and fibrils, induction of inflammation by Aβ aggregates, and clearance of various Aβ species. Crucially, the rates of Aβ generation and clearance are modulated by inflammation level following a Hill-type response function. Despite its relative simplicity, the model exhibits enormously rich dynamics ranging from overdamped kinetics to sustained oscillations. We then specify the region of inflammation- and coupling-related parameters space where a transition to oscillatory dynamics occurs and demonstrate how changes in Aβ aggregation parameters could shift this oscillatory region in parameter space. Our results reveal the propensity of coupled Aβ aggregation-inflammation systems to oscillatory dynamics and propose prolonged sustained oscillations and their consequent immune system exhaustion as a potential mechanism underlying the transition to a more progressive phase of amyloid pathology in AD. The implications of our results in regard to early diagnosis of AD and anti-AD drug development are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalyan S Chakrabarti
- Department of Biological Science and Chemistry, Krea University, Sri City, India
| | | | - Nasrollah Rezaei-Ghaleh
- Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Physical Biology, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Institute of Biological Information Processing, IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, Jülich, Germany.
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Ali NH, Al-Kuraishy HM, Al-Gareeb AI, Hadi NR, Assiri AA, Alrouji M, Welson NN, Alexiou A, Papadakis M, Batiha GES. Hypoglycemia and Alzheimer Disease Risk: The Possible Role of Dasiglucagon. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2024; 44:55. [PMID: 38977507 PMCID: PMC11230952 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-024-01489-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory impairment and cognitive dysfunctions. It has been shown that hypoglycemia can adversely affect AD neuropathology. It is well-known that chronic hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is regarded as a potential risk factor for the development and progression of AD. However, the effect of recurrent hypoglycemia on the pathogenesis of AD was not deeply discussed, and how recurrent hypoglycemia affects AD at cellular and molecular levels was not intensely interpreted by the previous studies. The underlying mechanisms for hypoglycaemia-induced AD are diverse such as endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, and neuronal injury that causing tau protein hyperphosphorylation and the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain neurons. Of note, the glucagon hormone, which controls blood glucose, can also regulate the cognitive functions. Glucagon increases blood glucose by antagonizing the metabolic effect of insulin. Therefore, glucagon, through attenuation of hypoglycemia, may prevent AD neuropathology. Glucagon/GLP-1 has been shown to promote synaptogenesis, hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory, while attenuating amyloid and tau pathologies. Therefore, activation of glucagon receptors in the brain may reduce AD neuropathology. A recent glucagon receptor agonist dasiglucagon which used in the management of hypoglycemia may be effective in preventing hypoglycemia and AD neuropathology. This review aims to discuss the potential role of dasiglucagon in treating hypoglycemia in AD, and how this drug reduce AD neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naif H Ali
- Assistant Professor of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College, Najran University, Najran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Hayder M Al-Kuraishy
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Ali I Al-Gareeb
- Head of Jabir Ibn, Hayyan Medical University, Al-Ameer Qu./Najaf-Iraq, PO.Box13, Kufa, Iraq
| | - Najah R Hadi
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq
| | - Abdullah A Assiri
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alrouji
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Shaqra, 11961, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Nermeen N Welson
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, 62511, Egypt
| | - Athanasios Alexiou
- Department of Science and Engineering, Novel Global Community Educational Foundation, Hebersham, NSW, 2770, Australia
- AFNP Med, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- University Centre for Research & Development, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India
- Department of Research & Development, Funogen, Athens, Greece
| | - Marios Papadakis
- Department of Surgery II, University Hospital Witten-Herdecke, Heusnerstrasse 40, University of Witten-Herdecke, 42283, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, AlBeheira, 22511, Egypt
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Azargoonjahromi A. Immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease: focusing on the efficacy of gantenerumab on amyloid-β clearance and cognitive decline. J Pharm Pharmacol 2024:rgae066. [PMID: 38767981 DOI: 10.1093/jpp/rgae066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Gantenerumab, a human monoclonal antibody (mAb), has been thought of as a potential agent to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) by specifically targeting regions of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide sequence. Aβ protein accumulation in the brain leads to amyloid plaques, causing neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal damage, and neurotransmitter dysfunction, thereby causing cognitive decline in AD. Gantenerumab involves disrupting Aβ aggregation and promoting the breakdown of larger Aβ aggregates into smaller fragments, which facilitates the action of Aβ-degrading enzymes in the brain, thus slowing down the progression of AD. Moreover, Gantenerumab acts as an opsonin, coating Aβ plaques and enhancing their recognition by immune cells, which, combined with its ability to improve the activity of microglia, makes it an intriguing candidate for promoting Aβ plaque clearance. Indeed, the multifaceted effects of Gantenerumab, including Aβ disaggregation, enhanced immune recognition, and improved microglia activity, may position it as a promising therapeutic approach for AD. Of note, reports suggest that Gantenerumab, albeit its capacity to reduce or eliminate Aβ, has not demonstrated effectiveness in reducing cognitive decline. This review, after providing an overview of immunotherapy approaches that target Aβ in AD, explores the efficacy of Gantenerumab in reducing Aβ levels and cognitive decline.
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Aliashrafi M, Nasehi M, Zarrindast MR, Joghataei MT, Zali H, Siadat SD. Intracerebroventricular Cutibacterium acnes Generates Manifestations of Alzheimer's Disease-like Pathology in the Rat Hippocampus. Neuroscience 2024; 540:103-116. [PMID: 38266907 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The infection hypothesis is a new causative explanation for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In recent decades, various species of bacterial pathogens have been distinguished in the autopsy of Alzheimer's patients; however, the mechanism of bacterial contribution to AD pathology is still unknown. To explore the hypothesis, Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) was selected, and effects of its intracerebroventricular (ICV) inoculation in rats was evaluated. The results revealed that C. acnes causes memory impairment, which might be a consequence of upregulated Amyloid β (Aβ) deposits in the hippocampus; Aβ aggregates are co-localized with C. acnes colonies. The key point of our hypothesis is that the activation of the innate immune system by C. acnes through the TLR2/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, eventually leads to increased neuroinflammation, which might be resulted from microgliosis and astrogliosis. Neuroinflammation increases oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. Overall, the obtained results of this study support our hypothesis that brain exposure to C. acnes prompted neuroinflammation with similar AD-like pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morteza Aliashrafi
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Tehran, Iran; Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center, Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Taghi Joghataei
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hakimeh Zali
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Davar Siadat
- Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Microbiology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Danilov SM, Adzhubei IA, Kozuch AJ, Petukhov PA, Popova IA, Choudhury A, Sengupta D, Dudek SM. Carriers of Heterozygous Loss-of-Function ACE Mutations Are at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease. Biomedicines 2024; 12:162. [PMID: 38255267 PMCID: PMC10813023 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
We hypothesized that subjects with heterozygous loss-of-function (LoF) ACE mutations are at risk for Alzheimer's disease because amyloid Aβ42, a primary component of the protein aggregates that accumulate in the brains of AD patients, is cleaved by ACE (angiotensin I-converting enzyme). Thus, decreased ACE activity in the brain, either due to genetic mutation or the effects of ACE inhibitors, could be a risk factor for AD. To explore this hypothesis in the current study, existing SNP databases were analyzed for LoF ACE mutations using four predicting tools, including PolyPhen-2, and compared with the topology of known ACE mutations already associated with AD. The combined frequency of >400 of these LoF-damaging ACE mutations in the general population is quite significant-up to 5%-comparable to the frequency of AD in the population > 70 y.o., which indicates that the contribution of low ACE in the development of AD could be under appreciated. Our analysis suggests several mechanisms by which ACE mutations may be associated with Alzheimer's disease. Systematic analysis of blood ACE levels in patients with all ACE mutations is likely to have clinical significance because available sequencing data will help detect persons with increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Patients with transport-deficient ACE mutations (about 20% of damaging ACE mutations) may benefit from preventive or therapeutic treatment with a combination of chemical and pharmacological (e.g., centrally acting ACE inhibitors) chaperones and proteosome inhibitors to restore impaired surface ACE expression, as was shown previously by our group for another transport-deficient ACE mutation-Q1069R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei M. Danilov
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; (A.J.K.); (S.M.D.)
| | - Ivan A. Adzhubei
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Alexander J. Kozuch
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; (A.J.K.); (S.M.D.)
| | - Pavel A. Petukhov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Isolda A. Popova
- Toxicology Research Laboratory, University of Illinois Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Ananyo Choudhury
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa; (A.C.); (D.S.)
| | - Dhriti Sengupta
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa; (A.C.); (D.S.)
| | - Steven M. Dudek
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; (A.J.K.); (S.M.D.)
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Reed EG, Keller-Norrell PR. Minding the Gap: Exploring Neuroinflammatory and Microglial Sex Differences in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17377. [PMID: 38139206 PMCID: PMC10743742 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into Alzheimer's Disease (AD) describes a link between AD and the resident immune cells of the brain, the microglia. Further, this suspected link is thought to have underlying sex effects, although the mechanisms of these effects are only just beginning to be understood. Many of these insights are the result of policies put in place by funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to consider sex as a biological variable (SABV) and the move towards precision medicine due to continued lackluster therapeutic options. The purpose of this review is to provide an updated assessment of the current research that summarizes sex differences and the research pertaining to microglia and their varied responses in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin G. Reed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44242, USA
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