pubmed:abstractText |
Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. To determine which mechanisms cause the origin of oxidative damage, we analyzed enzymatic antioxidant defense (Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase Cu/Zn-SOD, glutathione peroxidase GPx and glutathione reductase GR) and lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde MDA and 4-hydroxynonenal HNE in two different APP transgenic mouse models at 3-4 and 12-15 months of age. No changes in any parameter were observed in brains from PDGF-APP695(SDL) mice, which have low levels of Abeta and no plaque load. In contrast, Thy1-APP751(SL) mice show high Abeta accumulation with aging and plaques from an age of 6 months. In brains of these mice, HNE levels were increased at 3 months (female transgenic mice) and at 12 months (both gender), that is, before and after plaque deposition, and the activity of Cu/Zn-SOD was reduced. Interestingly, beta-amyloidogenic cleavage of APP was increased in female Thy1-APP751(SL) mice, which also showed increased HNE levels with simultaneously reduced Cu/Zn-SOD activity earlier than male Thy1-APP751(SL) mice. Our results demonstrate that impaired Cu/Zn-SOD activity contributes to oxidative damage in Thy1-APP751(SL) transgenic mice, and these findings are closely linked to increased beta-amyloidogenic cleavage of APP.
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