Increased melatonin 1a-receptor immunoreactivity in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease patients.
The pineal secretory product melatonin has, in addition to regulating retinal, circadian and vascular functions, neuroprotective effects. Blood melatonin levels are often decreased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressively disabling neurodegenerative disorder. In this study we provide the first immunohistochemical evidence for the localization of melatonin 1a-receptor (MT(1)) in aged human hippocampus and a comparison of AD cases. MT(1) was localized to pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)1-4 subfields. There was a distinct increase in staining intensity in all AD cases indicating an up-regulation of the receptor, possibly as a compensatory response to impaired melatonin levels in order to augment melatonin's neuroprotective effects.
Savaskan
Egemen
E
Psychiatric University Clinic, Basel, Switzerland. esavaskan@datacomm.ch
Olivieri
Gianfranco
G
Meier
Fides
F
Brydon
Lena
L
Jockers
Ralf
R
Ravid
Rivka
R
Wirz-Justice
Anna
A
Müller-Spahn
Franz
F
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin
D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin; D008550:Melatonin