title: Gluthatione level is altered in lymphoblasts from patients with familial Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulphide (GSSG), glutamic acid and gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) were measured in lymphoblast lines from patients with familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and from age-matched controls. Lymphoblasts carrying presenilins (PS) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) genes mutations showed significantly decreased GSH content with respect to controls. Levels of GSSG and glutamic acid, as well as the activity of gamma-GCS were not significantly different in lymphoblasts carrying genes mutations as compared with control cells. These results indicate that even peripheral cells not involved in the neurodegenerative process of AD show altered GSH content when carrying PS and APP genes mutations. The provided data appear to be in accordance with the known alteration of GSH levels in central nervous system and strengthen the hypothesis of oxidative stress as an important, possibly crucial mechanism in the pathogenesis of AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latorraca
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sorbi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iantomasi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Favilli
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Vincenzini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liguri
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D053764:Presenilin-1
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C508853:PSEN1 protein, human; D053764:Presenilin-1; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005721:Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase; D005978:Glutathione; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide