Background
Immune system hypersensitivity with aging is believed to contribute to mental frailty in elderlies. This is postulated to arise from accumulation of oxidative molecular patterns. Solid evidences delineates thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), an inducible protein involved in oxidative stress, is essential for NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3)-inflammasome activation which intimately connects “inflammaging” to senile cognitive decline. This study aims to fundamentally explore the plausible involvement of TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in senile dementia and the typical Alzhemier’s disease.
Methods
In experimental studies cerebral samples from gender-matched mice were compared for TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome activation and klotho depletion, through immunoblotting and immunostaining in different life span points. In aged males, genetic or pharmacological ablation of TXNIP were then used to determine effects on cognitive decline and sensorimotor frailty in morris water maze, novel object recognition test and gait control analysis. Immunoblotting/staining experiments were also performed on human postmortem aged hippocampal specimens and 5XFAD transgenic mice, to ultimately address Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as the most age related dementia.
Results
According to our preclinical studies, cerebral TXNIP was significantly upregulated in aged animals, paralleled by the NLRP3-inflammasome over-activity in both sexes, and closely associated klotho depletion in aged males. TXNIP knock-out reversed age-related NLRP3-hyperactivity and enhanced thioredoxin (TRX) levels in aged brains. Further, pharmacological TXNIP inhibition replicated the TXNIP/NLRP3-inflammasome downregulation in aged animals, with FOXO-1 and mTOR upregulation. These alterations concurred with substantial improvements in both cognitive and sensorimotor abilities. Moreover, our immunostaining shows a significant increase of TXNIP in transgenic 5XFAD mice brain and TXNIP/NLRP3-inflammasome activity in AD human postmortem hippocampal specimens, in proximity of p-tau tangles and β-amyloid plaques.
Conclusion
Together, these findings substantiate the pivotal role of TXNIP to drive inflammging in parallel with klotho depletion and functional decline. TXNIP co-localization with hallmarks of AD pathology is further supportive of potential mechanistic links between TXNIP and AD. Unraveling new information on upstream pathways, these data support modulating thioredoxin system as a potential approach to decelerate senile frailty.