VEGF Significantly Restores Impaired Memory Behavior in Alzheimer's Mice by Improvement of Vascular Survival

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2013 Jun 25

PMID 23792494

Citations 74

Authors

Piotr Religa

Renhai Cao

Dorota Religa

Yuan Xue

Nenad Bogdanovic

David Westaway

Hugo H Marti

Bengt Winblad

Yihai Cao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The functional impact of amyloid peptides (Aβs) on the vascular system is less understood despite these pathologic peptides are substantially deposited in the brain vasculature of Alzheimer's patients. Here we show substantial accumulation of Aβs 40 and 42 in the brain arterioles of Alzheimer's patients and of transgenic Alzheimer's mice. Purified Aβs 1-40 and 1-42 exhibited vascular regression activity in the in vivo animal models and vessel density was reversely correlated with numbers and sizes of amyloid plaques in human patients. A significant high number of vascular cells underwent cellular apoptosis in the brain vasculature of Alzheimer's patients. VEGF significantly prevented Aβ-induced endothelial apoptosis in vitro. Neuronal expression of VEGF in transgenic mice restored memory behavior of Alzheimer's. These findings provide conceptual implication of improvement of vascular functions as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

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