Neurotrophic action of Alzheimer's disease brain extract is due to the loss of inhibitory factors for survival and neurite formation of cerebral cortical neurons.
Cell cultures of neonatal rat cerebral cortex in a serum-free medium were used to investigate whether specific neurotrophic factors are accumulated or inhibitory factors for neuronal survival and neurite formation decrease in AD brain extract. Neurotrophic activity in brain extract was quantified by using the ELISA for microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). Inhibitory factors, which blocked neurotrophic activity, were present in normal brain extract. In AD brain extract, loss of the inhibitory factors resulted in a relative increase in neurotrophic activity. The inhibitory factors in normal brain extract were retained on the ultrafiltration membrane with molecular weight cutoff of 10 kDa.
Uchida
Y
Y
Department of Clinical Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan.
Tomonaga
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D014020:Tissue Extracts