Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is not restricted to the neuronal compartment but includes important interactions with immune cells, including microglia. Protein aggregates, common pathological hallmarks of AD, bind to pattern recognition receptors on microglia and trigger an inflammatory response, which contributes to disease progression and severity. In this context, curcumin is emerging as a potential drug candidate able to affect multiple key pathways implicated in AD, including neuroinflammation. Therefore, we studied the effect of curcumin and its structurally related analogues cur6 and cur16 on amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced microglia activation and neuronal cell death, as well as their effect on the modulation of Aβ aggregation. Primary cortical microglia and neurons were exposed to two different populations of Aβ42 oligomers (Aβ42Os) where the oligomeric state had been assigned by capillary electrophoresis and ultrafiltration. When stimulated with high molecular weight Aβ42Os, microglia released proinflammatory cytokines that led to early neuronal cell death. The studied compounds exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on high molecular weight Aβ42O-stimulated microglia and possibly inhibited microglia-mediated neuronal cell toxicity. Furthermore, the tested compounds demonstrated antioligomeric activity during the process of in vitro Aβ42 aggregation. These findings could be investigated further and used for the optimization of multipotent candidate molecules for AD treatment

Background The prospective DIabetes and CATaract Study II (DICAT II) was performed to characterise the risks of cataract surgery to the retinae of patients with early diabetic macular oedema (E-DMO). Methods DICAT II was a prospective, comparative, multicentre, observational study involving six Italian clinics. Patients were aged ≥55 years, had type 1 or 2 diabetes with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography evidence of ESASO classification Early DMO. Group 1 eyes (78 eyes, 78 patients) underwent phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery. Group 2 eyes (65 eyes, 65 patients) had E-DMO and either clear media or had undergone uncomplicated cataract surgery ≥1 year previously. Central subfield thickness (CST) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed in both groups. Results The negative impact of surgery on CST was evident after the first postoperative week; CST peaked during the first month, then rapidly decreased. CST worsening ≥10 µm was observed in 63/78 eyes (80.7%) and 29/65 eyes (44.6%) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively ( p < 0.0001). CST worsening of ≥50 µm was observed in 51 eyes (65.4%) and 10 eyes (15.4%) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively ( p < 0.0001). Mean CST worsening was lower in Group 2 than in Group 1 (38.6 ± 30.4 µm vs 85.5 ± 55.3 µm, p < 0.0001) with a lower BCVA loss (−2.6 ± 3.5 letters vs −8.2 ± 6.2 letters, p < 0.0001). Higher glycaemic levels and HBA1c levels were significantly associated with the risk of >50 μm CST worsening in eyes from both groups. Conclusion Early DMO is associated with poorer outcomes after cataract surgery and requires close pre- and postoperative monitoring.

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