Amyloid-β (Aβ) is a major pathological mediator of both familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the brains of AD patients, progressive accumulation of Aβ oligomers and plaques is observed. Such Aβ abnormalities are believed to block long-term potentiation, impair synaptic function, and induce cognitive deficits. Clinical and experimental evidences have revealed that the acute increase of Aβ levels in the brain allows development of Alzheimer-like phenotypes. Hence, a detailed protocol describing how to acutely generate an AD mouse model via the intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of Aβ is necessary in many cases. In this protocol, the steps of the experiment with an Aβ-injected mouse are included, from the preparation of peptides to the testing of behavioral abnormalities. The process of preparing the tools and animal subjects before the injection, of injecting the Aβ into the mouse brain via ICV injection, and of assessing the degree of cognitive impairment are easily explained throughout the protocol, with an emphasis on tips for effective ICV injection of Aβ. By mimicking certain aspects of AD with a designated injection of Aβ, researchers can bypass the aging process and focus on the downstream pathology of Aβ abnormalities.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by sequential progression of pathological events, such as aggregation of amyloid-β proteins, followed by outward symptoms of cognitive impairments. Given that a combination of different therapeutic strategies often provides more rapid and effective outcomes in diverse areas of clinical treatment, we hypothesized that administration of anti-amyloid drugs with cognitive enhancers would result in synergistic effects in AD treatment. Here, we co-administered 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazinepropane-sulphonic acid (EPPS), an amyloid-clearing chemical, and donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, to determine whether they could serve complementary roles for each other in regards to AD treatment. We found that oral administration of these two molecules led to a rapid and consistent cognitive improvement in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Although there was no evidence for synergistic effects, our results indicated that EPPS and donepezil function complementary to each other without altering their individual effects. Thus, the combined use of disease-modifying and symptomatic relief drugs may be a promising approach in the treatment of AD.
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