Cholesterol: A Key in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

Herein we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the role of cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has been proposed that cholesterol could enhance the risk of AD, and the interaction between cholesterol and amyloid-β peptide 42 (Aβ42) has been studied extensively, yet until recently, the specific interaction mechanisms between them and how this affects Aβ42 aggregation had not yet been fully explored and had remained ambiguous. Vendruscolo and co-workers addressed these issues in their recent article entitled "Cholesterol catalyses Aβ42 aggregation through a heterogeneous nucleation pathway in the presence of lipid membranes" (Habchi et al., Nat. Chem. 2018, 10, 673). In this article, the authors revealed the mechanism behind cholesterol-catalyzed Aβ42 aggregation, providing the potential to address the molecular origins of AD, thereby opening a new avenue for effective AD therapy.