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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A11-positive β-amyloid Oligomer Preparation and Assessment Using Dot Blotting Analysis
Published on: May 22, 2018
Transthyretin inhibition of amyloid beta aggregation and toxicity
S Giunta1, M B Valli, R Galeazzi
1Laboratorio Analisi Chimico-Cliniche, Microbiologiche e Diagnostica Molecolare, Ospedale Geriatrico INRCA (IRCCS), Via della Montagnola 81, 60100 Ancona, Italy. s.giunta@inrca.it
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to investigate transthyretin (prealbumin) effects on Abeta25-35-induced cytotoxicity.
Design And Methods:
In view of the well-recognized literature data demonstrating that Abeta25-35 fibrillar aggregates cause in vitro cytotoxicity to human red blood cells and apoptotic changes to SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells in cultures (ultrastructural evidence), we tested transthyretin effects on these two experimental models.
Results:
Incubation of Abeta25-35 with transthyretin (at transthyretin concentrations equal to CSF physiological levels) demonstrated both inhibition of red blood cells lysis and neutralization of SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells ultrastructural apoptotic changes. Moreover, transthyretin was shown to be able to inhibit the formation of fibrillar macroaggregates of Abeta25-35.
Conclusions:
The findings imply that experimental systems investigating Abeta-induced cytotoxicity consider the protective interaction of transthyretin with Abeta; an interaction to be considered also in vivo in view of the fact that transthyretin immunoreactivity has been previously demonstrated in amyloid plaques of brains from Alzheimer's disease patients.
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