Resveratrol promotes clearance of Alzheimer's disease amyloid-β peptides

Abstract

Several epidemiological studies indicate that moderate consumption of wine is associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Wine is enriched in antioxidant compounds with potential neuroprotective activities. However, the exact molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of wine intake on the neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer's disease brain remain to be clearly defined. Here we show that resveratrol (trans-3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring polyphenol mainly found in grapes and red wine, markedly lowers the levels of secreted and intracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides produced from different cell lines. Resveratrol does not inhibit Aβ production, because it has no effect on the Aβ-producing enzymes β- and γ-secretases, but promotes instead intracellular degradation of Aβ via a mechanism that involves the proteasome. Indeed, the resveratrol-induced decrease of Aβ could be prevented by several selective proteasome inhibitors and by siRNA-directed silencing of the proteasome subunit β5. These findings demonstrate a proteasome-dependent anti-amyloidogenic activity of resveratrol and suggest that this natural compound has a therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease. © 2005 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.