Oxidative stress affects processing of amyloid precursor protein in vascular endothelial cells

Background Oxidative stress is thought to be a key player in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It has been assumed that oxidative stress contributes to the s-amyloid deposition in cerebral blood vessels. Methods In order to prove this hypothesis, we examined the effect of oxidative stress on the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in primary endothelial cells (EC) derived from cerebral cortical tissue of transgenic Tg2576 mice. Following exposure of EC by 1 μM hydrogen peroxide for up to 48 hours, formation and secretion of APP cleavage products sAPPα and sAPPs into the culture medium as well as the expression of endothelial APP were assessed. Results Oxidative stress resulted in enhanced secretion of sAPPs into the culture medium as compared to controls (absence of hydrogen peroxide), which was accompanied by an increased APP expression, induction of VEGF synthesis, nitric oxide and oxygen free radicals productions, and differential changes of endothelial phospo-p42/44 MAPK expression. Conclusion The data suggest that oxidative stress may represent a major risk factor in causing As deposition in the brain vascular system by initiating the amyloidogenic route of endothelial APP processing. The enhanced β-secretase activity following oxidative stress exposure, possibly promoted by phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK.