Robust Amyloid Clearance in a Mouse Model of AD Provides Novel Insights into the Mechanism of Abeta Immunotherapy (original) (raw)
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Journal of neuroimmunology, 2014
Immunization of AD mouse models with Aβ reduced Aβ deposits and improved memory and learning deficits, but some clinical trials of immunization with Aβ were halted due to brain inflammation which was presumably induced by a T cell-mediated autoimmune response. We have developed a "possibly safer" vaccine. Our results demonstrate that pcDNA3.1 vector encoding ten repeats of Aβ3-10 fragments elicited high titers of antibodies which reacted well with not only monomeric but also oligomeric and fibrillar forms of Aβ42 peptide. Induced antibodies strongly reacted with amyloid plaques in the brain, demonstrating functional activity of the antibodies. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence showed there was significantly less plaque deposition accomplied with less microglia activation as detected both in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. These data suggested that microglial activation is necessary for efficient removal of compact amyloid deposits with immunotherapy. No obviou...
Neurobiology of Disease, 2004
The mechanisms by which anti-AB antibodies clear amyloid plaques in AB depositing transgenic mice are unclear. In the current study, we demonstrate that inhibition of anti-AB antibody-induced microglial activation with anti-inflammatory drugs, such as dexamethasone, inhibits removal of fibrillar amyloid deposits. We also show that anti-AB F(abV) 2 fragments fail to activate microglia and are less efficient in removing fibrillar amyloid than the corresponding complete IgG. Diffuse AB deposits are cleared by antibodies under all circumstances. These data suggest that microglial activation is necessary for efficient removal of compact amyloid deposits with immunotherapy. Inhibition of this activation may result in an impaired clinical response to vaccination against AB.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2004
The role of microglia in the removal of amyloid deposits after systemically administered anti-Abeta antibodies remains unclear. In the current study, we injected Tg2576 APP transgenic mice weekly with an anti-Abeta antibody for 1, 2, or 3 months such that all mice were 22 months at the end of the study. In mice immunized for 3 months, we found an improvement in alternation performance in the Y maze. Histologically, we were able to detect mouse IgG bound to congophilic amyloid deposits in those mice treated with the anti-Abeta antibody but not in those treated with a control antibody. We found that Fcgamma receptor expression on microglia was increased after 1 month of treatment, whereas CD45 was increased after 2 months of treatment. Associated with these microglial changes was a reduction in both diffuse and compact amyloid deposits after 2 months of treatment. Interestingly, the microglia markers were reduced to control levels after 3 months of treatment, whereas amyloid levels re...
Brain Pathology, 2008
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is abnormal accumulation of Ab and tau proteins in the brain. There is an associated immunological response, but it is still unclear whether this is beneficial or harmful. Inflammation in AD, specifically in the form of microglial activation, has, for many years, been considered to contribute to disease progression. However, two types of evidence suggest that it may be appropriate to revise this view: first, the disappointing results of prospective clinical trials of anti-inflammatory agents and, second, the observation that microglia can clear plaques in AD following Ab immunization. Although Ab immunization alters AD pathology, there is limited evidence so far of benefit to cognitive function. Immunization against microorganisms is almost always used as a method of disease prevention rather than to treat a disease process that has already started. In animal models, immunotherapy at an early age can protect against Ab accumulation and it will be interesting to see if this can usefully be applied to humans to prevent AD.
Journal of Neuroscience, 2008
Aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain in the form of neuritic plaques and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microglial cells surround aggregated Aβ and are believed to play a role in AD pathogenesis. A therapy for AD that has entered clinical trials is the administration of anti-Aβ antibodies. One mechanism by which certain anti-Aβ antibodies have been proposed to exert their effects is via antibody-mediated microglial activation. Whether, when, or to what extent microglial activation occurs following systemic administration of anti-Aβ antibodies has not been fully assessed. We administered an anti-Aβ antibody (m3D6) which binds to aggregated Aβ to PDAPP mice, an AD mouse model that was bred to contain fluorescent microglia. Three days following systemic administration of m3D6, there was a marked increase in both the number of microglial cells and processes per cell visualized in vivo by multiphoton microscopy. These changes required the Fc domain of m3D6 and were not observed with an antibody specific to soluble Aβ. These findings demonstrate that some effects of antibodies that recognize aggregated Aβ are rapid, involve microglia, and provide insight into the mechanism of action of a specific passive immunotherapy for AD.
Amyloid-β Immunotherapy for Alzheimer Disease: Is It Now a Long Shot
The amyloid-β (Aβ) cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) holds that brain accumulation of Aβ initiates the disease process. Accordingly, drug research has targeted Aβ production, clearance, and deposition as therapeutic strategies. Unfortunately, candidate drugs have failed to show clinical benefit in established, early, or prodromal disease, or in those with high AD risk. Currently, monoclonal antibodies specifically directed against the most neurotoxic Aβ forms are undergoing large-scale trials to confirm initially encouraging results. However, recent findings on the normal physiology of Aβ suggest that accumulation may be compensatory rather than the pathological initiator. If this is true, alternative strategies will be needed to defeat this devastating disease. ANN NEUROL 2019;00:1-13 View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2001
Active immunization with the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide has been shown to decrease brain Aβ deposition in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and certain peripherally administered anti-Aβ antibodies were shown to mimic this effect. In exploring factors that alter Aβ metabolism and clearance, we found that a monoclonal antibody (m266) directed against the central domain of Aβ was able to bind and completely sequester plasma Aβ. Peripheral administration of m266 to PDAPP transgenic mice, in which Aβ is generated specifically within the central nervous system (CNS), results in a rapid 1,000-fold increase in plasma Aβ, due, in part, to a change in Aβ equilibrium between the CNS and plasma. Although peripheral administration of m266 to PDAPP mice markedly reduces Aβ deposition, m266 did not bind to Aβ deposits in the brain. Thus, m266 appears to reduce brain Aβ burden by altering CNS and plasma Aβ clearance.