Bicca MA, Figueiredo CP, Piermartiri TC, Meotti FC, Bouzon ZL, Tasca CI, Medeiros R, Calixto JB. The selective and competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, (-)-6-phosphonomethyl-deca-hydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, prevents synaptic toxicity induced by amyloid-β in mice.
Neuroscience 2011;
192:631-41. [PMID:
21756976 DOI:
10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.06.038]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/10/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The toxicity of amyloid β (Aβ) is highly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), which has a high incidence in elderly people worldwide. While the current treatment for moderate and severe AD includes blockage of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), the molecular mechanisms of its effect are still poorly understood. Herein, we report that a single i.p. administration of the selective and competitive (NMDAR) antagonist LY235959 reduced Aβ neurotoxicity by preventing the down-regulation of glial glutamate transporters (glutamate-aspartate transporter (GLAST) and glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1)), the decrease in glutamate uptake, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by Aβ(1-40). Importantly, the blockage of NMDAR restored the Aβ(1-40)-induced synaptic dysfunction and cognitive impairment. However, LY235959 failed to prevent the inflammatory response associated with Aβ(1-40) treatment. Altogether, our data indicate that the acute administration of Aβ promotes oxidative stress, a decrease in glutamate transporter expression, and neurotoxicity. Our results reinforce the idea that NMDAR plays a critical regulatory action in Aβ toxicity and they provide further pre-clinical evidence for the potential role of the selective and competitive NMDAR antagonists in the treatment of AD.
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