title: Towards an understanding of amyloid-β oligomers: characterization, toxicity mechanisms, and inhibitors.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by an imbalance between production and clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ) species. Aβ peptides can transform structurally from monomers into β-stranded fibrils via multiple oligomeric states. Among the various Aβ species, structured oligomers are proposed to be more toxic than fibrils; however, the identification of Aβ oligomers has been challenging due to their heterogeneous and metastable nature. Multiple techniques have recently helped us gain a better understanding of oligomers' assembly details and structural properties. Moreover, some progress on elucidating the mechanisms of oligomer-triggered toxicity has been made. Based on the collection of current findings, there is growing consensus that control of toxic Aβ oligomers could be a valid approach to regulate Aβ-associated toxicity, which could advance development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for amyloid-related diseases. In this review, we summarize the recent understanding of Aβ oligomers' assembly, structural properties, and toxicity, along with inhibitors against Aβ aggregation, including oligomerization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea. mhlim@unist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Shin Jung C
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea. mhlim@unist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Eunju
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuck Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, MI, USA and SciGency Science Communications, Ann Arbor 48104, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Masha G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Savelieff
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea. mhlim@unist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Mi Hee
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3377-4996
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides