Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is clinically characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline caused by protein misfolding and aggregation. Imbalance between free radicals and the antioxidant system is a prominent and early feature in the neuropathology of AD. Selenium (Se), a vital trace element with excellent antioxidant potential, is preferentially retained in the brain in Se-limited conditions and has been reported to provide neuroprotection through resisting oxidative damage. In this paper, we studied for the first time the potential of Ebselen, a lipid-soluble selenium compound with GPx-like activity, in the treatment of cognitive dysfunction and neuropathology of triple-transgenic AD (3 × Tg-AD) mice, AD model cell, and primary culture. We demonstrated that Ebselen inhibited oxidative stress in both AD model cells and mouse brains with increasing GPx and SOD activities and meanwhile reduced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases activities. By decreasing the expression of amyloid precursor protein and β-secretase, Ebselen reduced the levels of Aβ in AD neurons and mouse brains, especially the most toxic oligomeric form. Besides, mislocation of phosphorylated tau in neurons and phosphorylation levels of tau protein at Thr231, Ser396, and Ser404 residues were also inhibited by Ebselen, probably by its regulatory roles in glycogen synthase kinase 3β and protein phosphatase 2A activity. In addition, Ebselen mitigated the decrease of synaptic proteins including synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95 in AD model cells and neurons. Consequently, the spatial learning and memory of 3 × Tg-AD mice were significantly improved upon Ebselen treatment. This study provides a potential novel therapeutic approach for the prevention of AD.

It has been suggested that the aggregation and cytotoxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide with transition-metal ions in neuronal cells is involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Selenoproteins are a group of special proteins that contain the 21st amino acid selenocysteine in their sequence, and they are found to be involved in the onset and progression of AD. Here, we report that the histidine-rich domain of selenoprotein P (SelP-H) is capable of binding Cu ions in both oxidation states of Cu(+) and Cu(2+) with high affinity and of modulating Cu(+) and Cu(2+)-mediated Aβ aggregation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and neurotoxicity. SelP-H was found to coordinate 1 and 2 mol equiv of Cu(+) and Cu(2+) with sub-picomolar and nanomolar affinities, respectively. Cu(+)/Cu(2+) binding to Aβ42 inhibited the fibrillization of Aβ42 but induced it to form amorphous aggregates, which could be significantly restored by SelP-H, as observed by thioflavin T fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, SelP-H inhibited Cu(+)/Cu(2+)-Aβ42-induced neurotoxicity and the intracellular ROS production in living cells. These studies suggest that SelP may play certain roles in regulating redox balance as well as metal homeostasis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by peptide and protein misfolding and aggregation, in part due to the presence of excess metal ions such as copper. Aggregation and cytotoxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide with copper ion have been investigated extensively; however, the effects of metalation on tau are less known. Here, we presented the effects of Cu(+) and Cu(2+) on aggregation and neurotoxicity of the second repeat unit of the microtubule-binding domain of tau (tau-R2). Tau-R2 was demonstrated to bind 0.44 Cu(2+) and 0.34 Cu(+) per monomer with dissociation constants of 1.1 nM and 0.2 pM, respectively. Copper in both oxidation states stimulated the aggregation, ROS production, and neuronal cytotoxicity of tau-R2. We showed that copper-associated tau-R2 aggregates, decreased protein levels of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2), and synaptophysin in the primarily cultured cortical neurons, reduced mitochondrial density and mobility in the axon and, as a consequence, impaired the growth and probably also the function of neurons. Previously, we reported that the His-rich domain of selenoprotein P (SelP-H) inhibited metal-induced aggregation and toxicity of Aβ, due to its metal chelation ability. Here we demonstrated that SelP-H not only inhibited copper-mediated tau aggregation but also interfered with the ongoing aggregation and reversed the already formed aggregates. More intriguing, SelP-H significantly attenuated Cu(2+)/Cu(+)-tau-R2-induced intracellular ROS production and the impairments of synapse and mitochondrial movement in neurons. This work implies that the surface-exposed His-rich domain of SelP makes it capable of modulating Cu(+)/Cu(2+)-mediated aggregation and neurotoxicity of both Aß and tau and may play important roles in the prevention of AD progression.