Elevation of cerebral proteases after systemic administration of aluminum.
The levels of three proteases in the cerebral cortex of rats following a three week exposure to aluminum, were measured. The activity of apopain (CPP32), an interleukin 1beta converting enzyme (ICE)-like cysteine protease specifically associated with apoptosis, was increased following dosing with aluminum. The activity of calcium-activated neutral protease, calpain, was also increased. However, the enzyme activity of trypsin-like serine protease, known to be elevated by oxidative events, was unchanged. Since aluminum is suspected as a possible factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases, it is speculated that changed levels in proteolytic enzymes may relate to the neurotoxicity of aluminum.
Guo-Ross
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Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Community and Environmental Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92697-1825, USA. sxguo@uci.edu
Yang
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E
Bondy
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SC
D000534:Alum Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism
D000534:Alum Compounds; C041524:aluminum sulfate; D010450:Endopeptidases; D014357:Trypsin; D002154:Calpain; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D020170:Caspase 1