The Role of Chemokines in Alzheimer's Disease

OBJECTIVE: The most common multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder occurring in old age is Alzheimer's disease. The neuropathological hallmarks of that disorder are amyloid plaques with the presence of beta-amyloid aggregates, intraneuronal tau protein tangles and chronic inflammation. Brain cells such as microglia and astrocytes are inflammatory cells associated to Alzheimer's disease and involved in the production of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines. Chemokines consist of a large family of protein mediators with low molecular weight, which able to control the migration and residence of all immune cells. In pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, chemokines contribute to the inflammatory response by recruiting T cells and controlling microglia/macrophages activation. METHODS: The present study focuses on the role that chemokines and their receptors play in Alzheimer's disease and in processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress. RESULTS: Chemokines are important mediators in AD and inflammation. They promote Abeta deposition and TAU hyperphosphorylation aggravating and increasing the progression of AD. Moreover, they affect the processing of senile plaques and produce abnormal TAU phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: There is no cure for AD but the therapeutic potential of chemokines to control the development of the disease may be a field of study to consider in the future.