Low to moderate ethanol exposure reduces astrocyte-induced neuroinflammatory signaling and cognitive decline in presymptomatic APP/PS1 mice

초록

Alcohol use disorder has been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, recent studies demonstrate that moderate alcohol consumption may be protective against dementia and cognitive decline. We examined astrocyte function, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1), and the NF-kappa B p65 and IKK-alpha/beta signaling pathways in modulating neuroinflammation and amyloid beta (A beta) deposition. We assessed apolipoprotein E (ApoE) in the brain of APP/PS1 mice using IHC and ELISA in response to low to moderate ethanol exposure (MEE). First, to confirm the intracerebral distribution of ApoE, we co-stained with GFAP, a marker for astrocytes that biosynthesize ApoE. We sought to investigate whether the ethanol-induced upregulation of LRP1 could potentially inhibit the activity of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha induced IKK-alpha/beta towards NF-kappa B p65, resulting in a reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. To evaluate the actual A beta load in the brains of APP/PS1 mice, we performed with a specific antibody A beta (Thioflavin S) on both air- and ethanol-exposed groups, subsequently analyzing A beta levels. We also measured glucose uptake using 18F- fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET). Finally, we investigated whether MEE induced cognitive and memory changes using the Y maze, noble object recognition test, and Morris water maze. Our findings demonstrate that MEE reduced astrocytic glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ApoE levels in the cortex and hippocampus in presymptomatic APP/PS1 mice. Interestingly, increased LRP1 protein expression was accompanied by dampening the IKK-alpha/beta-NF-kappa B p65 pathway, resulting in decreased IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels in male mice. Notably, female mice show reduced levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, and IL-10 without altering IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha concentrations. In both males and females, A beta plaques, a hallmark of AD, were reduced in the cortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice exposed to ethanol starting at pre-symptomatic stage. Consistently, MEE increased FDG-PET-based brain activities and normalized cognitive and memory deficits in the APP/PS1 mice. Our findings suggest that MEE may benefit AD pathology via modulating LRP1 expression, potentially reducing neuroinflammation and attenuating A beta deposition. Our study implies that reduced astrocyte-derived ApoE and LDL cholesterol levels are critical for attenuating AD pathology.

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