High-dose of vitamin C supplementation reduces amyloid plaque burden and ameliorates pathological changes in the brain of 5XFAD mice |
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Authors: | S-Y Kook K-M Lee Y Kim M-Y Cha S Kang S H Baik H Lee R Park I Mook-Jung |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea;2.Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea |
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Abstract: | Blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive deficits and neuronal loss. Besides vitamin C being as one of the important antioxidants, recently, it has also been reported as a modulator of BBB integrity and mitochondria morphology. Plasma levels of vitamin C are decreased in AD patients, which can affect disease progression. However, investigation using animal models on the role of vitamin C in the AD pathogenesis has been hampered because rodents produce with no dependence on external supply. Therefore, to identify the pathogenic importance of vitamin C in an AD mouse model, we cross-bred 5 familial Alzheimer''s disease mutation (5XFAD) mice (AD mouse model) with ι-gulono-γ-lactone oxidase (Gulo) knockout (KO) mice, which are unable to synthesize their own vitamin C, and produced Gulo KO mice with 5XFAD mice background (KO-Tg). These mice were maintained on either low (0.66 g/l) or high (3.3 g/l) supplementation of vitamin C. We found that the higher supplementation of vitamin C had reduced amyloid plaque burden in the cortex and hippocampus in KO-Tg mice, resulting in amelioration of BBB disruption and mitochondrial alteration. These results suggest that intake of a larger amount of vitamin C could be protective against AD-like pathologies. |
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Keywords: | Alzheimer''s disease 5XFAD mice Vitamin C amyloid plaque BBB disruption mitochondrial dysfunction |
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