title: Transthyretin inhibition of amyloid beta aggregation and toxicity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate transthyretin (prealbumin) effects on Abeta25-35-induced cytotoxicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  In view of the well-recognized literature data demonstrating that Abeta25-35 fibrillar aggregates cause in vitro cytotoxicity to human red blood cells and apoptotic changes to SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells in cultures (ultrastructural evidence), we tested transthyretin effects on these two experimental models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Incubation of Abeta25-35 with transthyretin (at transthyretin concentrations equal to CSF physiological levels) demonstrated both inhibition of red blood cells lysis and neutralization of SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells ultrastructural apoptotic changes. Moreover, transthyretin was shown to be able to inhibit the formation of fibrillar macroaggregates of Abeta25-35.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings imply that experimental systems investigating Abeta-induced cytotoxicity consider the protective interaction of transthyretin with Abeta; an interaction to be considered also in vivo in view of the fact that transthyretin immunoreactivity has been previously demonstrated in amyloid plaques of brains from Alzheimer's disease patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Microbiologiche e Diagnostica Molecolare, Ospedale Geriatrico INRCA (IRCCS), Via della Montagnola 81, 60100 Ancona, Italy. s.giunta@inrca.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giunta
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Valli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fattoretti
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Corder
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003224:Congo Red / Q000737:chemistry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011228:Prealbumin; C074636:amyloid beta-protein (25-35); D003224:Congo Red