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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Visualizing Axonal Growth Cone Collapse and Early Amyloid β Effects in Cultured Mouse Neurons
Published on: October 30, 2018
Amyloid-beta impairs development of neuronal progenitor cells by oxidative mechanisms
B Mazur-Kolecka1, A Golabek, K Nowicki
1Department of Developmental Neurobiology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA. BMKO_JFRA@msn.com
Abstract:
Neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) are being considered for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases associated with beta-amyloidosis: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS). However, the neurotoxic properties of amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) may impair survival and differentiation of transplanted NPCs. Hence, we studied the influence of Abeta on development of human NPCs--proliferation, migration, formation of colonies of neurons, formation processes--in culture. Pre-fibrillized human Abeta1-40 blocked development of neuronal colonies. NPC development was impaired in the presence of soluble Abeta1-40 (1.75-7 microM), and NPC differentiation into large and small neurons was altered, as demonstrated by morphometry. Antioxidant vitamin E partially abolished these effects, but not the reduced formation of neuronal processes. NPCs cultured with 7 microM Abeta1-40 accumulated Abeta monomers and oligomers and contained higher levels of protein carbonyls and lipid peroxidation products HNE and MDA. We suggest that Abeta1-40 impairs development of NPCs by oxidative damage. Hence, a prerequisite of successful neuroreplacement therapy using NPCs in AD and DS/AD may be removal of amyloid-beta and antioxidative treatment.
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