Issue 3, 2015

A rationally designed small molecule for identifying an in vivo link between metal–amyloid-β complexes and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Multiple factors, including amyloid-β (Aβ), metals, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), are involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Metal ions can interact with Aβ species generating toxic oligomers and ROS in vitro; however, the involvement of metal–Aβ complexes in AD pathology in vivo remains unclear. To solve this uncertainty, we have developed a chemical tool (L2-b) that specifically targets metal–Aβ complexes and modulates their reactivity (i.e., metal–Aβ aggregation, toxic oligomer formation, and ROS production). Through the studies presented herein, we demonstrate that L2-b is able to specifically interact with metal–Aβ complexes over metal-free Aβ analogues, redirect metal–Aβ aggregation into off-pathway, nontoxic less structured Aβ aggregates, and diminish metal–Aβ-induced ROS production, overall mitigating metal–Aβ-triggered toxicity, confirmed by multidisciplinary approaches. L2-b is also verified to enter the brain in vivo with relative metabolic stability. Most importantly, upon treatment of 5XFAD AD mice with L2-b, (i) metal–Aβ complexes are targeted and modulated in the brain; (ii) amyloid pathology is reduced; and (iii) cognition deficits are significantly improved. To the best of our knowledge, by employing an in vivo chemical tool specifically prepared for investigating metal–Aβ complexes, we report for the first time experimental evidence that metal–Aβ complexes are related directly to AD pathogenesis.

Graphical abstract: A rationally designed small molecule for identifying an in vivo link between metal–amyloid-β complexes and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
22 Okt. 2014
Accepted
03 Dec. 2014
First published
27 Janv. 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2015,6, 1879-1886

Author version available

A rationally designed small molecule for identifying an in vivo link between metal–amyloid-β complexes and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

M. W. Beck, S. B. Oh, R. A. Kerr, H. J. Lee, S. H. Kim, S. Kim, M. Jang, B. T. Ruotolo, J. Lee and M. H. Lim, Chem. Sci., 2015, 6, 1879 DOI: 10.1039/C4SC03239J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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