title: beta-Amyloid peptides induce degeneration of cultured rat microglia.
abstract: Microglia are often associated with senile plaques, a primary pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that consists largely of insoluble deposits of beta-amyloid (A beta) protein. Synthetic A beta peptides have been shown to induce neurite dystrophy and neuronal death in vitro when the peptides are assembled into aggregates. We now report that assembled A beta peptides induce morphological evidence of degeneration in process-bearing microglia in vitro, as well as metabolic dysfunction in microglial cultures, but a non-assembling scrambled sequence A beta peptide does not.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Korotzer
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Pike
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cotman
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004396:Coloring Agents; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D051381:Rats; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D004396:Coloring Agents; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; C022616:thiazolyl blue