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Marginal vitamin A deficiency facilitates Alzheimer’s pathogenesis

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Abstract

Deposition of amyloid β protein (Aβ) to form neuritic plaques in the brain is the unique pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ is derived from amyloid β precursor protein (APP) by β- and γ-secretase cleavages and turned over by glia in the central nervous system (CNS). Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been shown to affect cognitive functions. Marginal vitamin A deficiency (MVAD) is a serious and widespread public health problem among pregnant women and children in developing countries. However, the role of MVAD in the pathogenesis of AD remains elusive. Our study showed that MVAD is approximately twofold more prevalent than VAD in the elderly, and increased cognitive decline is positively correlated with lower VA levels. We found that MVAD, mostly prenatal MVAD, promotes beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1)-mediated Aβ production and neuritic plaque formation, and significantly exacerbates memory deficits in AD model mice. Supplementing a therapeutic dose of VA rescued the MVAD-induced memory deficits. Taken together, our study demonstrates that MVAD facilitates AD pathogenesis and VA supplementation improves cognitive deficits. These results suggest that VA supplementation might be a potential approach for AD prevention and treatment.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Alzheimer’s disease

Aβ:

Amyloid β protein

APP:

Amyloid β precursor protein

MVAD:

Marginal vitamin A deficiency

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Grant 30972461, 81161120498 (TL), and 81202291 (LC), and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Grant TAD-117948 (WS). WS is the holder of the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease. ZW is supported by the Alzheimer Society of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship.

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    1. Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China

      Jiaying Zeng, Li Chen, Qian Chen, Zhen Fan, Hongpeng Jiang, Lan Ren, Jie Chen, Tingyu Li & Weihong Song

    2. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China

      Jiaying Zeng, Li Chen, Qian Chen, Zhen Fan, Hongpeng Jiang, Lan Ren, Jie Chen, Tingyu Li & Weihong Song

    3. Townsend Family Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

      Jiaying Zeng, Zhe Wang, Yili Wu & Weihong Song

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    J. Zeng and L. Chen contributed equally to this work.

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    Zeng, J., Chen, L., Wang, Z. et al. Marginal vitamin A deficiency facilitates Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. Acta Neuropathol 133, 967–982 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-017-1669-y

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