title: Progressive inflammatory pathology in the retina of aluminum-fed 5xFAD transgenic mice.
abstract: At least 57 murine transgenic models for Alzheimer's disease (Tg-AD) have been developed to overexpress the 42 amino acid amyloid-beta (Aβ42) peptide in the central nervous system (CNS). These 'humanized murine Tg-AD models' have greatly expanded our understanding of the contribution of Aβ42 peptide-mediated pro-inflammatory neuropathology to the AD process. A number of independent laboratories using different amyloid-overexpressing Tg-AD models have shown that supplementation of murine Tg-AD diets and/or drinking water with aluminum significantly enhances Aβ42 peptide-mediated inflammatory pathology and AD-type cognitive change compared to animals receiving control diets. In humans AD-type pathology appears to originate in the limbic system and progressively spreads into primary processing and sensory regions such as the retina. In these studies, for the first time, we assess the propagation of Aβ42 and inflammatory signals into the retina of 5xFAD Tg-AD amyloid-overexpressing mice whose diets were supplemented with aluminum. The two most interesting findings were (1) that similar to other Tg-AD models, there was a significantly accelerated development of Aβ42 and inflammatory pathology in 5xFAD Tg-AD mice fed aluminum; and (2) in aluminum-supplemented animals, markers for inflammatory pathology appeared in both the brain and the retina as evidenced by an evolving presence of Aβ42 peptides, and accompanied by inflammatory markers - cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The results indicate that in the 5xFAD Tg-AD model aluminum not only enhances an Aβ42-mediated inflammatory degeneration of the brain but also appears to induce AD-type pathology in an anatomically-linked primary sensory area that involves vision.
authors.affiliation: Alchem Biotech, Toronto ON M5S 1A8 CANADA.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Pogue
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management, Louisiana State University, Ruston, LA, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dua
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Alchem Biotech, Toronto ON M5S 1A8 CANADA; Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA; Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. Electronic address: wlukiw@lsuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lukiw
mesh_terms: D017607:Aluminum Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000633:toxicity*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D066263:Protein Aggregation, Pathological / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42); D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2