Nerve growth factor and galantamine ameliorate early signs of neurodegeneration in anti-nerve growth factor mice.
Phenotypic knockout of nerve growth factor (NGF) activity in transgenic anti-NGF mice (AD11 mice) results in a progressive neurodegenerative phenotype resembling Alzheimer's disease. In this article, we examine whether and how the progressive neurodegenerative phenotype of AD11 mice could be prevented or ameliorated by pharmacological treatments with NGF or the cholinergic agonist galantamine, at a relatively early phase of Alzheimer's disease-like neurodegeneration. We demonstrate that the neurodegeneration induced by the expression of anti-NGF antibodies in AD11 mice can be largely reversed by NGF delivery through an olfactory route.
Neuroscience Program, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Beirut 2-4, 34014 Trieste, Italy.
Simona
S
Capsoni
Sabina
S
Giannotta
Antonino
A
Cattaneo
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000209:etiology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000235:genetics; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005702:Galantamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D000906:Antibodies; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins; D005702:Galantamine; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase