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  • Original Research Article
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β-sheet breaker peptide prevents Aβ-induced spatial memory impairments with partial reduction of amyloid deposits

Molecular Psychiatry volume 9, pages 953–961 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Current evidence supports the notion that β-amyloid deposits or Aβ intermediates may be responsible for the pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. In the present work, we have assessed the neuroprotective effect of the chronic intraperitoneal administration of a five-amino-acid β-sheet breaker peptide (iAβ5p) on the rat behavioral deficit induced by the intrahippocampal Aβ-fibrils injection. At 1 month after the injection, animals showed a partial reduction of the amyloid deposits formed and a decreased astrocytic response around the injection site. More importantly, we report that following the iAβ5p treatment, hippocampal-dependent spatial learning paradigms, including the standard Morris water maze and a working memory analysis, showed a significant prevention from impairments induced by Aβ deposits in the dorsal hippocampus. Thus, it is possible that a noninvasive treatment such as the one presented here with β-sheet breaker peptides may be used as a potential therapy for AD patients.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Alicia Minniti for her help with the manuscript. FONDAP-Biomedicine Grant No. 13980001. Support of the Millennium Institute of Fundamental and Applied Biology (MIFAB) is also acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro FONDAP de Regulación Celular y Patología ‘Joaquín V Luco’, MIFAB, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    M A Chacón, M I Barría & N C Inestrosa

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    C Soto

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  1. M A Chacón
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  2. M I Barría
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  3. C Soto
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  4. N C Inestrosa
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Correspondence to N C Inestrosa.

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Chacón, M., Barría, M., Soto, C. et al. β-sheet breaker peptide prevents Aβ-induced spatial memory impairments with partial reduction of amyloid deposits. Mol Psychiatry 9, 953–961 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001516

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