Methods: A lentiviral transduction system was used to generate SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing APP. Immunoblotting was conducted to determine expression levels of NF-κB, Rho-GTPase, and Bcl-2 family proteins in the APP overexpressed cells.
Results: In the NF-κB signaling pathway, APP-overexpressing SH-SY5Y cells showed that there was a reduction of p-NF-κB (p< 0.05) and IKKα. Subsequently, there was upregulation of protein expression of NF-Κb, IKKβ and IκBα. On the other hand, protein expression of RhoC (p< 0.05) and Rac1/2/3 was upregulated as compared to the control group. Meanwhile, a decrease in RhoA, Cdc42 (p< 0.05) and p-Rac1/cdc42 protein levels was observed in the APP-overexpressed group. Lastly, in the pro-apoptotic pathway, the expression of Bcl-2, Bid, Bok and Puma (p< 0.05) was up regulated in the APP-overexpressed group. Downregulation of Bad and Bim expression was observed in the APP-overexpressed as compared to the control group, and Bax expression remained unchanged in the APP-overexpressed group.
Conclusion: APP overexpression regulated signaling in the NF-κB, Rho-GTPase and Bcl-2 family pathways in neuronal cells, suggesting that these are involved in promoting neuronal survival and modulating synaptic plasticity in AD. However, further studies are essential to elucidate the APP-mediated mechanism of action.
METHODS: Articles detailing potential applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in neurodegenerative settings were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar with the keywords "CRISPR," "gene editing," and "neurodegenerative diseases." Relevant information was collected and critically reviewed.
RESULTS: The utility of CRISPR/Cas9 coupled with viral transduction ranges from the disruption of amyloid precursor protein (APP) production at a genomic level in Alzheimer's disease (AD) to the deletion of varying exon portions of the Dmd gene in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) which would increase dystrophin expression. This usage of CRISPR/Cas9 also extends to experimentally ameliorate the neurodegenerative effects caused by viral infections.
CONCLUSION: The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool is a powerful arsenal in the field of gene therapy and molecular medicine; hence, more research should be called to focus on the ample potential this tool has to offer in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.
Methods: Subjects' food intakes were calculated by using dietary history questionnaire and food frequency questionnaire for polyphenols. The subjects' mental health and cognitive status were measured by general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and Rey's auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT).
Results: More than 40% of middle-aged adults were identified as having signs of poor mental health. A total of 67.9% of the subjects had poor cognitive status according to RAVLT immediate recall. Hierarchical binary logistic regression indicated that fat intake was associated with somatic symptoms for both men [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.04; P < 0.05] and women (AOR = 1.06; P < 0.05). Intake of lignan (AOR = 1.071; P < 0.05) was associated with better RAVLT immediate recall among women. Additionally, high cholesterol (AOR = 3.14; P < 0.05) was associated with poor score of RAVLT delayed recall for women.
Conclusions: Early detection of poor mental health and cognitive is crucial to prevent Alzheimer's disease in old age.