Brain alpha-amylase: a novel energy regulator important in Alzheimer disease?

ABSTRACT: Reduced glucose metabolism and formation of polyglucosan bodies (PGB) are, beside amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, well-known pathological findings associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since both glucose availability and PGB are regulated by enzymatic degradation of glycogen, we hypothesize that dysfunctional glycogen degradation is a critical event in AD progression. We therefore investigated whether alpha (α)-amylase, an enzyme known to efficiently degrade polysaccharides in the gastrointestinal tract, is expressed in the hippocampal CA1/subiculum and if the expression is altered in AD patients. Using immunohistochemical staining techniques, we show the presence of the α-amylase isotypes AMY1A and AMY2A in neuronal dendritic spines, pericytes and astrocytes. Moreove

SUBMITTER: Byman E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8028266 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature