• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.10
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• pp.704-709
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• 2010

The Swedish mutation (K595N/M596L) of amyloid precursor protein (APP-swe) has been known to increase abnormal cleavage of cellular APP by Beta-secretase (BACE), which causes tau protein hyperphosphorylation and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we analyzed the effect of APP-swe in global gene expression using deep transcriptome sequencing technique. We found 283 genes were down-regulated and 348 genes were up-regulated in APP-swe expressing H4-swe cells compared to H4 wild-type cells from a total of approximately 74 million reads of 38 base pairs from each transcriptome. Two independent mechanisms such as kinase and phosphatase signaling cascades leading hyperphosphorylation of tau protein were regulated by the expression of APP-swe. Expressions of catalytic subunit as well as several regulatory subunits of protein phosphatases 2A were decreased. In contrast, expressions of tau-phosphorylating glycogen synthase kinase $3\beta$(GSK-3$\beta$), cyclin dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit were increased. Moreover, the expression of AD-related Aquaporin 1 and presenilin 2 expression was regulated by APP-swe. Taken together, we propose that the expression of APP-swe modulates global gene expression directed to AD pathogenesis.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.139-147
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• 2018

Hippocampal atrophy is a well-established imaging biomarker of Alzheimer disease (AD). However, hippocampus is a non-homogenous structure with cytoarchitecturally and functionally distinct sub-regions or subfield, with each region performing distinct functions. Certain regions of the subfield have shown selective vulnerability to AD. Here, we are interested in studying the effects of normal aging and mild cognitive impairment on these sub-regional volumes. With a reliable automated segmentation technique, we segmented these subregions of the hippocampus in 101 cognitively normal (CN), 135 early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI), 67 late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI) and 48 AD subjects. Thereby, dividing the hippocampus into hippocampal tail (tail), subiculum (SUB), cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), hippocampal fissure (fissure), presubiculum (PSUB), parasubiculum (ParaSUB), molecular layer (ML), granule cells/molecular layer/dentate gyrus (GCMLDG), cornu ammonis 3(CA3), cornu ammonis 4(CA4), fimbria and hippocampal-amygdala transition area (HATA). In this cross sectional study of 351 ADNI subjects, no differences in terms of age, gender, and years of education were observed among the groups. Though, the groups had statistically significant differences (p < 0.05 after the multiple comparison correction) in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. There was asymmetrical volume loss in the early stages of AD with the left hemisphere showing volume loss in regions that were unaffected in the right hemisphere. Bilateral parasubiculum, right cornu ammonis 1, 3 and 4, right fimbria and right HATA regions did not show any volume loss till the late MCI stages. Our findings suggest that the hippocampal subfield regions are selectively vulnerable to AD and also that these vulnerabilities are asymmetrical especially during the early stages of AD.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2005

Alzheimer's disease(AD) is a geriatric dementia that is widespread in old age. In the near future AD will be the biggest problem in public health service. It has been widely believed that $A{\beta}$ peptide devided from APP causes apoptotic neurotoxicity in brain. However, recent evidence suggests that n99 may be an important factor causing neurotoxicity in AD. Mouse PC12 cells expressed with n99 exhibited remarkable apoptotic cell damage. We invesgated the protective effects of Gagamgobonhwan water extract(GKG). Findings from our experiments have shown that GKG inhibits the activities of CT99, which has neurotoxicities and apoptotic activities in cell line. In addition, treatment of GKG($75{\mu}g/ml$ 24 hours) partially prevented CT99-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. As the result of this study, in GKG group the apoptosis in the nervous system was inhibited, the repair against the degerneration of PC12 cells by CT99 expression is promoted. Taken together, GKG exhibited inhibition of CT99-induced apoptotic cell death. GKG may be beneficial for the treatment of AD.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.74-82
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and most frequently diagnosed neurodegenerative disorder. However, there is still no drug preventing the progress of this disorder. β-Amyrin, an ingredient of the surface wax of tomato fruit and dandelion coffee, is previously reported to ameliorate memory impairment induced by cholinergic dysfunction. Therefore, we tested whether β-amyrin can prevent AD-like pathology. β-Amyrin blocked amyloid β (Aβ)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment in the hippocampal slices. Moreover, β-amyrin improved Aβ-induced suppression of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling. LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, blocked the effect of β-amyrin on Aβ-induced LTP impairment. In in vivo experiments, we observed that β-amyrin ameliorated object recognition memory deficit in Aβ-injected AD mice model. Moreover, neurogenesis impairments induced by Aβ was improved by β-amyrin treatment. Taken together, β-amyrin might be a good candidate of treatment or supplement for AD patients.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2019

Objectives : Amyloid ${\beta}(A{\beta})$ could induce cognitive deficits through oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuron death in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study was investigated the effect of Angelica keiskei KOIDZUMI (AK) on memory in $A{\beta}$-induced an AD model. Methods : AK was extracted uses 70% ethanol solvent. Total polyphenol and flavonoids content were obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteu and the Ethylene glycol colorimetric methods, respectively. The antioxidant activities were assessed through free radical scavenging assays using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) methods. Intracerebroventrical (i.c.v) injection of $A{\beta}$ 1-42 was used to induce AD in male ICR mice, followed by administrations of 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg AK on a daily. Animals were subjected to short and long term memory behavior in Y-maze and passive avoidance test. Results : The total polyphenol and flavonoids contents of the AK extract were $88.73{\pm}6.36mg$ gallic acid equivalent/g, $84.21{\pm}5.04mg$ rutin equivalent/g, respectively. The assays of DPPH and ABTS revealed that AK extract in treated concentrations (31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, $1000{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) increased antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner. Oral administration of AK extract significantly reversed the $A{\beta}$ 1-42-induced decreasing of the spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze test and $A{\beta}$ 1-42-induced shorting of the step-through latency in the passive avoidance test. Conclusions : The findings suggest that AK indicated the antioxidant protective effects against $A{\beta}$-induced memory deficits, and therefore a potential lead natural therapeutic drug or agent for AD.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Background and Purpose: Voice, reflecting cerebral functions, holds potential for analyzing and understanding brain function, especially in the context of cognitive impairment (CI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study used voice data to distinguish between normal cognition and CI or Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Methods: This study enrolled 3 groups of subjects: 1) 52 subjects with subjective cognitive decline; 2) 110 subjects with mild CI; and 3) 59 subjects with ADD. Voice features were extracted using Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and Chroma. Results: A deep neural network (DNN) model showed promising performance, with an accuracy of roughly 81% in 10 trials in predicting ADD, which increased to an average value of about 82.0%±1.6% when evaluated against unseen test dataset. Conclusions: Although results did not demonstrate the level of accuracy necessary for a definitive clinical tool, they provided a compelling proof-of-concept for the potential use of voice data in cognitive status assessment. DNN algorithms using voice offer a promising approach to early detection of AD. They could improve the accuracy and accessibility of diagnosis, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.237-246
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• 2017

Synapse is the basic structural and functional component for neural communication in the brain. The presynaptic terminal is the structural and functionally essential area that initiates communication and maintains the continuous functional neural information flow. It contains synaptic vesicles (SV) filled with neurotransmitters, an active zone for release, and numerous proteins for SV fusion and retrieval. The structural and functional synaptic plasticity is a representative characteristic; however, it is highly vulnerable to various pathological conditions. In fact, synaptic alteration is thought to be central to neural disease processes. In particular, the alteration of the structural and functional phenotype of the presynaptic terminal is a highly significant evidence for neural diseases. In this review, we specifically describe structural and functional alteration of nerve terminals in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD).

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.343-347
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• 2014

The present study investigated the effects of Vaccinium uliginosum L. (bilberry) on the learning and memory impairments induced by amyloid-${\beta}$ protein ($A{\beta}P$) 1-42. ICR Swiss mice were divided into 4 groups: the control ($A{\beta}40$-1A), control with 5% bilberry group ($A{\beta}40$-1B), amyloid ${\beta}$ protein 1-42 treated group ($A{\beta}1$-42A), and $A{\beta}1$-42 with 5% bilberry group ($A{\beta}1$-42B). The control was treated with amyloid ${\beta}$-protein 40-1 for placebo effect, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) group was treated with amyloid ${\beta}$-protein 1-42. Amyloid ${\beta}$-protein 1-42 was intracerebroventricular (ICV) micro injected into the hippocampus in 35% acetonitrile and 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid. Although bilberry added groups tended to decrease the finding time of hidden platform, no statistical significance was found. On the other hand, escape latencies of $A{\beta}P$ injected mice were extended compared to that of $A{\beta}40$-1. In the Probe test, bilberry added $A{\beta}1$-42B group showed a significant (P<0.05) increase of probe crossing frequency compared to $A{\beta}1$-42A. Administration of amyloid protein ($A{\beta}1$-42) decreased working memory compared to $A{\beta}40$-1 control group. In passive avoidance test, bilberry significantly (P<0.05) increased the time of staying in the lighted area compared to AD control. The results suggest that bilberry may help to improve memory and learning capability in chemically induced Alzheimer's disease in experimental animal models.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.401-411
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• 2018

Longevity in medicine can be defined as a long life without mental or physical deficits. This can be prevented by Alzheimer's disease (AD). Current conventional AD treatments only alleviate the symptoms without reversing AD progression. Recent studies demonstrated that Panax ginseng extract improves AD symptoms in patients with AD, and the two main components of ginseng might contribute to AD amelioration. Ginsenosides show various AD-related neuroprotective effects. Gintonin is a newly identified ginseng constituent that contains lysophosphatidic acids and attenuates AD-related brain neuropathies. Ginsenosides decrease amyloid ${\beta}$-protein ($A{\beta}$) formation by inhibiting ${\beta}$- and ${\gamma}$-secretase activity or by activating the nonamyloidogenic pathway, inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity and $A{\beta}$-induced neurotoxicity, and decrease $A{\beta}$-induced production of reactive oxygen species and neuro-inflammatory reactions. Oral administration of ginsenosides increases the expression levels of enzymes involved in acetylcholine synthesis in the brain and alleviates $A{\beta}$-induced cholinergic deficits in AD models. Similarly, gintonin inhibits $A{\beta}$-induced neurotoxicity and activates the nonamyloidogenic pathway to reduce $A{\beta}$ formation and to increase acetylcholine and choline acetyltransferase expression in the brain through lysophosphatidic acid receptors. Oral administration of gintonin attenuates brain amyloid plaque deposits, boosting hippocampal cholinergic systems and neurogenesis, thereby ameliorating learning and memory impairments. It also improves cognitive functions in patients with AD. Ginsenosides and gintonin attenuate AD-related neuropathology through multiple routes. This review focuses research demonstrating that ginseng constituents could be a candidate as an adjuvant for AD treatment. However, clinical investigations including efficacy and tolerability analyses may be necessary for the clinical acceptance of ginseng components in combination with conventional AD drugs.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.97-117
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• 2005

This research investigates the effect of the Chaenomelis fructus(CMF) on Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, the effects of the CMF extract on (1) >$IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA of PC-12 cells treated with LPS; (2) amyloid precursor proteins(APP), acetylcholinesterase(AChE), and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) mRNA of PC-12 cells treated with CT-105; (3) the AChE activity and the APP production of PC-12 cell treated with CT-105; (4) the behavior of AD mice with ${\beta}A$; (5) expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$, MDA, $IL-1{\beta}$ mRNA, $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA, and ROS; (6) the infarction area of the hippocampus, and brain tissue injury in Alzheimer's diseased mice induced with ${\beta}A$ were investigated. The results were summarized as follows; 1. The CMF extract suppressed the expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA in THP-1 cells treated with LPS. 2. The CMF extract suppressed the expression of APP, AChE, and GFAP mRNA in PC-12 cells treated with CT-105. 3. The CMF extract suppressed the AChE activity, and the production of APP significantly in PC-12 cells treated with CT-105. 4. A significant inhibitory effect on the memory deficit was shown on the CMF extract group of the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}A$ in the Morris water maze experiment, which measured stop-through latency, and distance movement-through latency. 5. The CMF extract suppressed the over-expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ protein, $TNF-{\alpha}$ protein, MDA, $IL-1{\beta}$ protein, mRNA, $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA, CD68/GFAP, and ROS in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}A$. 6. The CMF extract reduced the infarction area of hippocampus, and controlled the injury of brain tissue in the mice with Alzheimer’s disease induced by ${\beta}A$. These results suggest that the CMF extract may be effective for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Investigation into the clinical use of the CMF extract for Alzheimer's disease is suggested for future research.