Toxicological mechanisms of carbon polymers in accelerating cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the primary cause of dementia and is emerging as a global threat to human health. Increased availability of processed food is identified as a crucial dietary risk factor underlying the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. Carbon polymers (CPs), as neo-formed substances and ubiquitous in thermally processed foods, the relationship between them and AD onset remains unclear.

The effect of CPs on AD onset was examined and the toxicological mechanisms of prolonged exposure to CPs derived from thermal processed foods on AD progression were comprehensively investigated using a scopolamine-induced neuroinflammatory cell models and the transgenic APPswe/PSEN1dE9 (APP/PS1) AD mouse.

The CPs were extracted from thermally processed foods and the effects of CPs exposure on oxidative stress in neuroinflammatory cells were evaluated using scopolamine-induced PC12 cells as a neuroinflammation model. Furthermore, APP/PS1 AD mice were used to validate the potential adverse impacts of prolonged exposure to CPs on AD progression through the Morris water maze and open field test. In addition, histopathological examination, including immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, Nissl staining, and H&E, of the brain tissue in AD mice after chronic CPs treatment was performed to elucidate the underlying risk of dietary exposure to CPs on AD progression.

Exposure to CPs enhanced oxidative damage in neuroinflammatory cells, as demonstrated by impaired mitochondrial function and activated NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways. Further results from electron spin resonance substantiated the catalytic properties of CPs, which accelerated oxidative damage through promoting free radical generation. Using transgenic AD mice model, our findings also demonstrated that prolonged CPs exposure aggravated AD-associated pathology, as evidenced by increased amyloid-beta deposition and glial cell activation, ultimately accelerating cognitive decline.

These findings provide compelling evidence of the potential health risks associated with long-term dietary exposure to CPs and provide insight into the relationship between foodborne risk factors and neurodegenerative diseases.