Cited by 187Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsInflammasome and immune disorders

β-amyloid, microglia, and the inflammasome in Alzheimer’s disease

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Gold, Maike, El Khoury, Joseph·2015·Seminars in Immunopathology

Abstract

There is extensive evidence that accumulation of mononuclear phagocytes including microglial cells, monocytes, and macrophages at sites of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain is an important pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related animal models, and the concentration of these cells clustered around Aβ deposits is several folds higher than in neighboring areas of the brain [1-5]. Microglial cells phagocytose and clear debris, pathogens, and toxins, but they can also be activated to produce inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and neurotoxins [6]. Over the past decade, the roles of microglial cells in AD have begun to be clarified, and we proposed that these cells play a dichotomous role in the pathogenesis of AD [4, 6-11]. Microglial cells are able to clear soluble and fibrillar Aβ, but continued interactions of these cells with Aβ can lead to an inflammatory response resulting in neurotoxicity. Inflammasomes are inducible high molecular weight protein complexes that are involved in many inflammatory pathological processes. Recently, Aβ was found to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in microglial cells in vitro and in vivo thereby defining a novel pathway that could lead to progression of AD [12-14]. In this manuscript, we review possible steps leading to Aβ-induced inflammasome activation and discuss how this could contribute to the pathogenesis of AD.

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  • Microglia-Aβ interactions lead to early synapse loss, production of ROS and RNS, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and proinflammatory cytokines and TNF.

    “Microglia–Aβ interactions lead to early synapse loss39, production of neurotoxic reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and production of proinflammatory cytokines and TNF27,40–42.”

    From Microglia in neurodegeneration (2018) · cites this paper as [41]

  • Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that the microglial response to AD lesions controls disease progression.

    “Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that the microglial response to AD lesions controls disease progression”

    From TREM2 Maintains Microglial Metabolic Fitness in Alzheimer’s Disease (2017) · cites this paper as Gold and El Khoury, 2015

  • NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and activation regulates activation of caspase-1, which catalyzes cleavage and activation of proinflammatory cytokines of the IL-1β family, promoting secretion of biologically active cytokines; these cytokines could induce neuronal degeneration.

    “Their assembly and activation regulates activation of caspase-1, which catalyzes the cleavage and activation of proinflammatory cytokines of the IL-1β family, promoting the secretion of these, now biologically active, cytokines. These cytokines could induce neuronal degeneration (Gold and El Khoury, 2015).”
  • NLRP3 inflammasome activation reduces phagocytosis of Aβ by microglial cells, thus increasing Aβ depositions and contributing to the pathogenesis of AD.

    “In addition, NLRP3 inflammasome activation reduces phagocytosis of Aβ by microglial cells, thus increasing the Aβ depositions and contributing to the pathogenesis of AD (Garlanda et al., 2013; Gold and El Khoury, 2015).”

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Authors
Gold, M., & El Khoury, J.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Venue
Seminars in Immunopathology
Published
2015-08-07
Volume
37
Issue
6
Pages
607-611
ISSN
  • 1863-2297 (ISSN-L)
  • 1863-2300
OpenAlex
W1883181368
Cited by
187
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 11
FWCI
1.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Seminars in Immunopathology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Max Kade Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Aging (RF1AG051506, AG032349, R01AG032349)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI082660, U24AI082660)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS059005, R01NS059005)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Inflammasome and immune disorders
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta, microglia, inflammasome, NLRP3 inflammasome, neuroinflammation, monocytes, macrophages, neurotoxicity, amyloid clearance, pathogenesis
MeSH terms
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein, Alzheimer Disease, Brain, Carrier Proteins, Humans, Macrophages, Monocytes, Phagocytosis, Cytokines, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Microglia, Inflammasomes

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