Deletion of aquaporin-4 in APP/PS1 mice exacerbates brain Aβ accumulation and memory deficits

作者：Zhiqiang Xu, Na Xiao, Yali Chen, Huang Huang, Charles Marshall, Junying Gao, Zhiyou Cai, Ting Wu, Gang Hu, Ming Xiao · 发表于：Molecular Neurodegeneration · 年份：2015 · DOI：10.1186/s13024-015-0056-1 · 被引用次数：509 · 研究领域：Ion Transport and Channel Regulation、Ion channel regulation and function、Alzheimer's disease research and treatments

BACKGROUND: Preventing or reducing amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation in the brain is an important therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies showed that the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) mediates soluble Aβ clearance from the brain parenchyma along the paravascular pathway. However the direct evidence for roles of AQP4 in the pathophysiology of AD remains absent. RESULTS: Here, we reported that the deletion of AQP4 exacerbated cognitive deficits of 12-moth old APP/PS1 mice, with increases in Aβ accumulation, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and loss of synaptic protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus and cortex. Furthermore, AQP4 deficiency increased atrophy of astrocytes with significant decreases in interleukin-1 beta and nonsignificant decreases in interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in hippocampal and cerebral samples. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that AQP4 attenuates Aβ pathogenesis despite its potentially inflammatory side-effects, thus serving as a promising target for treating AD.