title: The possible role of vitamin K deficiency in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and in augmenting brain damage associated with cardiovascular disease.
abstract: The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases with age and in carriers of the apolipoprotein E4 genotype. A relative deficiency of vitamin K, affecting the extrahepatic functions of the vitamin, is common in ageing men and women. The concentration of vitamin K is lower in the circulating blood of APOE4 carriers than in that of persons with other APOE genotypes. Evidence is accumulating that vitamin K has important functions in the brain, including the regulation of sulfotransferase activity and the activity of a growth factor/tyrosine kinase receptor (Gas 6/Axl). The hypothesis is now proposed that vitamin K deficiency contributes to the pathogenesis of AD and that vitamin K supplementation may have a beneficial effect in preventing or treating the disease. Vitamin K may also reduce neuronal damage associated with cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: SurroMed Corporation, Mountain View, California 94043, USA.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Allison
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D002470:Cell Survival; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E