Oxidative stress and Alzheimer disease: The autophagy connection?

Abstract

Intraneuronal accumulation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is believed to be responsible for degeneration and apoptosis of neurons and consequent senile plaque formation in Alzheimer disease (AD), the main cause of senile dementia. Oxidative stress, an early determinant of AD, has been recently found to induce intralysosomal Aβ accumulation in cultured differentiated neuroblastoma cells through activation of macroautophagy. Because Aβ is known to destabilize lysosomal membranes, potentially resulting in apoptotic cell death, this finding suggests the involvement of oxidative stress-induced macroautophagy in the pathogenesis of AD. ©2006 Landes Bioscience.