Cited by 87Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsPhosphodiesterase function and regulationDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

The Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitor Roflumilast, a Potential Treatment for the Comorbidity of Memory Loss and Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Preclinical Study in APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice

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Wang, Hao, Zhang, Fang-fang, Xu, Yong, Fu, Hua-rong, Wang, Xiao-dan, Wang, Lei, Chen, Wei, Xu, Xiao-yan +3 more·2020·International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Depression is highly related to Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet no effective treatment is available. Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) has been considered a promising target for treatment of AD and depression. Roflumilast, the first PDE4 inhibitor approved for clinical use, improves cognition at doses that do not cause side effects such as emesis. METHODS: Here we examined the effects of roflumilast on behavioral dysfunction and the related mechanisms in APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice, a widely used model of AD. Mice at 10 months of age were examined for memory in the novel object recognition and Morris water-maze tests and depression-like behavior in the tail-suspension test and forced swimming test before killing for neurochemical assays. RESULTS: In the novel object recognition and Morris water-maze, APPswe/PS1dE9 mice showed significant cognitive declines, which were reversed by roflumilast at 5 and 10 mg/kg orally once per day. In the tail-suspension test and forced swimming test, the AD mice showed prolonged immobility time, which was also reversed by roflumilast. In addition, the staining of hematoxylin-eosin and Nissl showed that roflumilast relieved the neuronal cell injuries, while terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labelling analysis indicated that roflumilast ameliorated cell apoptosis in AD mice. Further, roflumilast reversed the decreased ratio of B-cell lymphoma-2/Bcl-2-associated X protein and the increased expression of PDE4B and PDE4D in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of AD mice. Finally, roflumilast reversed the decreased levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and expression of phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein and brain derived neurotrophic factor in AD mice. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results suggest that roflumilast not only improves learning and memory but also attenuates depression-like behavior in AD mice, likely via PDE4B/PDE4D-mediated cAMP/cAMP response element-binding protein/brain derived neurotrophic factor signaling. Roflumilast can be a therapeutic agent for AD, in particular the comorbidity of memory loss and depression.

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  • PDE4 inhibitors include roflumilast, an oral small compound that selectively inhibits PDE4, an enzyme involved in controlling cAMP levels, and may lessen inflammation and increase neuronal survival.

    “PDE4 inhibitors, which are oral small compounds that selectively inhibit PDE4, an enzyme involved in controlling cAMP levels, include roflumilast (15, Figure 5), which may lessen inflammation and increase neuronal survival [177,178,179,180].”

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Authors
Wang, H., Zhang, F.-F., Xu, Y., Fu, H.-R., Wang, X.-D., Wang, L., Chen, W., Xu, X.-Y., Gao, Y.-F., Zhang, J.-G., & Zhang, H.-T.
Affiliations
  • Shandong First Medical University (CN)
  • Institute of Pharmacology, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai’an, China
  • West Virginia University (US)
Corresponding author
Zhang, Han-Ting
Venue
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2020-07-09
Volume
23
Issue
10
Pages
700-711
ISSN
  • 1461-1457 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-5111
OpenAlex
W3041079708
Cited by
84
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 2
FWCI
6.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Natural Science Foundation of China (81773717, 8144111, 81601229)
  • Key R & D Plan of Shandong Province (2019GSF108037)
  • Academic Promotion Programme of Shandong First Medical University (2019LJ003, 2019QL011)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Phosphodiesterase function and regulation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Keywords
roflumilast, phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors, Alzheimer's disease, depression, memory loss, APP/PS1 mice, cognitive impairment, depression-like behavior, neuronal apoptosis, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, PDE4B, PDE4D, cAMP signaling, CREB, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, hippocampus, cerebral cortex
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Aminopyridines, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Benzamides, Cerebral Cortex, Cyclopropanes, Depression, Disease Models, Animal, Hippocampus, Memory Disorders, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor, Maze Learning, Recognition, Psychology, Mice, Presenilin-1, Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors

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