Pathology - Research Publications

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Start date: 2001 × End date: 2009 × Author: Bush, Ashley × Author: Adlard, Paul ×

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    Pharmacotherapeutic targets in Alzheimer's disease
    Biran, Y ; Masters, CL ; Barnham, KJ ; Bush, AI ; Adlard, PA (WILEY, 2009-01)
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which is characterized by an increasing impairment in normal memory and cognitive processes that significantly diminishes a person's daily functioning. Despite decades of research and advances in our understanding of disease aetiology and pathogenesis, there are still no effective disease-modifying drugs available for the treatment of AD. However, numerous compounds are currently undergoing pre-clinical and clinical evaluations. These candidate pharma-cotherapeutics are aimed at various aspects of the disease, such as the microtubule-associated tau-protein, the amyloid-beta(Abeta) peptide and metal ion dyshomeostasis--all of which are involved in the development and progression of AD. We will review the way these pharmacological strategies target the biochemical and clinical features of the disease and the investigational drugs for each category.
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    Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress Causes Hyperphosphorylation of Tau
    Melov, S ; Adlard, PA ; Morten, K ; Johnson, F ; Golden, TR ; Hinerfeld, D ; Schilling, B ; Mavros, C ; Masters, CL ; Volitakis, I ; Li, Q-X ; Laughton, K ; Hubbard, A ; Cherny, RA ; Gibson, B ; Bush, AI ; Khoury, JE (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2007-06-20)
    Age-related neurodegenerative disease has been mechanistically linked with mitochondrial dysfunction via damage from reactive oxygen species produced within the cell. We determined whether increased mitochondrial oxidative stress could modulate or regulate two of the key neurochemical hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD): tau phosphorylation, and beta-amyloid deposition. Mice lacking superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) die within the first week of life, and develop a complex heterogeneous phenotype arising from mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Treatment of these mice with catalytic antioxidants increases their lifespan and rescues the peripheral phenotypes, while uncovering central nervous system pathology. We examined sod2 null mice differentially treated with high and low doses of a catalytic antioxidant and observed striking elevations in the levels of tau phosphorylation (at Ser-396 and other phospho-epitopes of tau) in the low-dose antioxidant treated mice at AD-associated residues. This hyperphosphorylation of tau was prevented with an increased dose of the antioxidant, previously reported to be sufficient to prevent neuropathology. We then genetically combined a well-characterized mouse model of AD (Tg2576) with heterozygous sod2 knockout mice to study the interactions between mitochondrial oxidative stress and cerebral Ass load. We found that mitochondrial SOD2 deficiency exacerbates amyloid burden and significantly reduces metal levels in the brain, while increasing levels of Ser-396 phosphorylated tau. These findings mechanistically link mitochondrial oxidative stress with the pathological features of AD.