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Published on: August 14, 2016

Effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on amyloid-beta pathology in mouse skeletal muscle

Tina L Beckett1, Dana M Niedowicz, Christa M Studzinski

  • 1Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0230, USA.

Neurobiology of Disease
|May 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

This study investigated if Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments could help sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). Researchers found that while ibuprofen reduced amyloid-beta (Abeta) in muscle, it did not improve sIBM symptoms in mice.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is an age-related inflammatory myopathy.
  • sIBM muscle tissue contains amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides, similar to Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • This suggests a potential link between sIBM and AD, and the possibility of shared therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if treatments effective for AD, specifically those reducing Abeta, could benefit sIBM.
  • To test the hypothesis that lowering Abeta in skeletal muscle might alleviate sIBM pathology.

Main Methods:

  • Transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) in skeletal muscle were used.
  • Mice were treated for six months with various nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): naproxen, ibuprofen, carprofen, and R-flurbiprofen.
  • Abeta levels in muscle tissue and phenotypic improvements were assessed.

Main Results:

  • Only ibuprofen demonstrated a reduction in Abeta levels within the skeletal muscle of treated mice.
  • This reduction in Abeta did not correlate with any observable improvements in the mice's muscle phenotype.
  • The study found that NSAIDs might have different effects in the brain compared to other tissues.

Conclusions:

  • Amyloid-beta alone may not be the sole driver of skeletal muscle dysfunction in sIBM.
  • Therapeutic strategies targeting Abeta in the brain may not directly translate to treating sIBM effectively.
  • Further research is needed to understand the complex mechanisms underlying sIBM and identify appropriate treatments.

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