Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on expression levels of APP and Aβ-producing enzymes

BMB Rep. 2011 Feb;44(2):135-9. doi: 10.5483/BMBRep.2011.44.2.135.

Abstract

Chronic alcohol consumption contributes to numerous diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and liver cirrhosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for dementia. Along this line, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is caused by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ plaques in neurons. In this study, we hypothesized that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with pathological processing of APP in AD. To investigate the relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and Aβ production, brain samples from rats fed an alcohol liquid diet for 5 weeks were analyzed. We show that the expression levels of APP, BACE1, and immature nicastrin were increased in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and striatum of the alcohol-fed group compared to the control group. Total nicastrin and PS1 levels were induced in the hippocampus of alcohol-fed rats. These data suggest that the altered expression of APP and Aβ-producing enzymes possibly contributes to the chronic alcohol consumption-mediated pathogenesis of AD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases / metabolism*
  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / metabolism*
  • Brain / enzymology
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cerebellum / enzymology
  • Cerebellum / metabolism
  • Ethanol / pharmacology*
  • Hippocampus / enzymology
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Male
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • nicastrin protein
  • Ethanol
  • Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases
  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases
  • Bace1 protein, rat