Cited by 353Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsTrace Elements in HealthDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Metal Ions in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Key Role or Not?

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Liu, Yan, Nguyen, Michel, Robert, Anne, Meunier, Bernard·2019·Accounts of Chemical Research

Abstract

Despite tremendous research efforts in universities and pharmaceutical companies, effective drugs are still lacking for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The biochemical mechanisms of this devastating neurodegenerative disease have not yet been clearly understood. Besides a small percentage of cases with early onset disease having a genetic origin (<5%, familial AD), most cases develop in the elderly as a sporadic form due to multiple and complex parameters of aging. Consequently, AD is spreading in all countries with a long life expectancy. AD is characterized by deposition of senile plaques made of β-amyloid proteins (Aβ) and by hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins, which have been considered as the main drug targets up to now. However, antibodies targeting amyloid aggregates, as well as enzyme inhibitors aiming to modify the amyloid precursor protein processing, have failed to improve cognition in clinical trials. Thus, to set up effective drugs, it is urgent to enlarge the panel of drug targets. Evidence of the link between AD and redox metal dysregulation has also been supported by post-mortem analyses of amyloid plaques, which revealed accumulation of copper, iron, and zinc by 5.7, 2.8, and 3.1 times, respectively, the levels observed in normal brains. Copper-amyloid complexes, in the presence of endogenous reductants, are able to catalyze the reduction of dioxygen and to produce reduced, reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to neuron death. The possibility of using metal chelators to regenerate normal trafficking of metal ions has been considered as a promising strategy in order to reduce the redox stress lethal for neurons. However, most attempts to use metal chelators as therapeutic agents have been limited to existing molecules available from the shelves. Very few chelators have resulted from a rational design aiming to create drugs with a safety profile and able to cross the blood-brain barrier after an oral administration. In the human body, metals are handled by a sophisticated protein network to strictly control their transport and reactivity. Abnormal concentrations of certain metals may lead to pathological events due to misaccumulation and irregular reactivity. Consequently, therapeutic attempts to restore metal homeostasis should carefully take into account the coordination chemistry specificities of the concerned redox-active metal ions. This Account is focused on the role of the main biologically redox-active transition metals, iron and copper. For iron, the recent debate on the possible role of magnetite in AD pathogenesis is presented. The section devoted to copper is focused on the design of specific copper chelators as drug candidates able to regulate copper homeostasis and to reduce the oxidative damage responsible for the neuron death observed in AD brains. A short survey on non-redox-active metal ions is also included at the beginning, such as aluminum and its controversial role in AD and zinc which is a key metal ion in the brain.

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Crossref · 10.1021/acs.accounts.9b00248

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  • Post-mortem analysis in AD patients reveals accumulation of copper, iron and zinc (5.7, 2.8 and 3.1 times, respectively) over normal brain, demonstrating a close correlation between AD and redox metal dysregulation.

    “Post-mortem analysis in AD patients reveals the accumulation of metal ions such as copper, iron and zinc (5.7, 2.8 and 3.1 times, respectively) over levels observed in normal brain, demonstrating a close correlation between AD and redox metal dysregulation [538].”
  • Cu2+ chelators inhibit ROS production triggered by Cu-Aβ and reverse episodic memory impairment in non-transgenic AD mice.

    “Use of Cu2+ chelators can inhibit ROS production triggered by Cu-Aβ, and reversed episodic memory impairment in non-transgenic AD mice [538, 541].”

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Authors
Liu, Y., Nguyen, M., Robert, A., & Meunier, B.
Affiliations
  • Guangdong University of Technology (CN)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
Corresponding author
  • Liu, Yan
  • Robert, Anne
Venue
Accounts of Chemical Research
Published
2019-07-05
Volume
52
Issue
7
Pages
2026-2035
ISSN
  • 0001-4842 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-4898
OpenAlex
W2954613999
Cited by
353
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 61 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 7
FWCI
26.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Accounts of Chemical Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Government of Guangdong Province (2050205)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (21502023)
  • Guangdong University of Technology (220418037)
  • Palumed Company
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, metal ions, copper, iron, redox stress, reactive oxygen species, copper chelators, metal homeostasis, magnetite, amyloid plaques, tau hyperphosphorylation, neurodegeneration, therapeutic target, coordination chemistry, blood-brain barrier, transition metals, oxidative damage, chelation therapy, coordination polymers
MeSH terms
Aluminum, Alzheimer Disease, Aminoquinolines, Animals, Brain, Chelating Agents, Copper, Humans, Iron, Mice, Transgenic, Zinc, Molecular Structure, Amyloid beta-Peptides, Neuroprotective Agents, Nootropic Agents, Coordination Complexes

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