Chronic nicotine administration exacerbates tau pathology in a transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The association between nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) dysfunction and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely exploited for its therapeutic potential. The effects of chronic nicotine exposure on A␤ accumulation have been studied in both humans and animal models, but its therapeutic efficacy for AD neuropathology is still unresolved. To date, no in vivo studies have addressed the consequences of activating nAChRs on tau pathology. To determine the effects of chronic nicotine administration on A␤ and tau pathology, we chronically administrated nicotine to a transgenic model of AD (3xTg-AD) in their drinking water. Here, we show that chronic nicotine intake causes an up-regulation of nicotinic receptors, which correlated with a marked increase in the aggregation and phosphorylation state of tau. These data show that nicotine exacerbates tau pathology in vivo. The increase in tau phosphorylation appears to be due to the activation of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase, which is known to phosphorylate tau in vivo and in vitro. We also show that the 3xTg-AD mice have an age-dependent reduction of ␣7nAChRs compared with age-matched nontransgenic mice in specific brain regions. The reduction of ␣7nAChRs is first apparent at 6 months of age and is restricted to brain regions that show intraneuronal A␤42 accumulation. Finally, this study highlights the importance of testing compounds designed to ameliorate AD pathology in a model with both neuropathological lesions because of the differential effects it can have on either A␤ or tau.T he loss of cholinergic neurons is a critical event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (1, 2). Acetylcholine (ACh) is a key neuromodulator in the synaptic mechanisms involved with learning and memory (3) and acts through two major receptor subtypes: nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). Whereas mAChRs are metabotropic, nAChRs are ligand-gated ion channels formed by a combination of five subunits (␣, ␤, ␥, ␦, and ), each encoded by a member of a gene superfamily (4). The ␣7 and ␣4␤2 are two of the major nicotinic receptors subtypes present in the brain (4, 5). For the past several years, a mainstay of AD therapy has been aimed at inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for degrading ACh in the synaptic cleft, and thereby increasing ACh levels in the brain (6). These compounds slow the phenotypical memory impairments; however, their effectiveness is diminished over time.The AD brain is characterized by two pathological hallmarks: amyloid plaques, which are mainly composed of the A␤ peptide, and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which consist of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Several studies have shown that nAChRs are selectively reduced in the AD brain, particularly in regions harboring plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, suggesting a potential relationship between nicotinic receptors and AD neuropathology (5, 7-9). Notably, chronic nicotine treatment has also been shown to redu...

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