Aerobic exercise intervention in Alzheimer's disease: Proteomic insights into peripheral T cell-mediated immune...

BackgroundPhysical exercise shows neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD) models, but whether it modulates neuroinflammation through regulation of peripheral T-cell activity is still unresolved.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which aerobic exercise regulates peripheral T cell-mediated immune responses and their potential contribution to neuroinflammation in AD.MethodsMale wild-type mice and APP/PS1 transgenic mice were divided into four groups: wild-type sedentary mice (WT-SE) group, wild-type exercise group (WT-EX), APP/PS1 transgenic AD sedentary mice (AD-SE) group, and APP/PS1 transgenic AD exercise mice (AD-EX) group. The sedentary groups received no exercise training, while the exercise groups underwent a 3-month treadmill aerobic exercise intervention. At the end of the intervention, T lymphocytes were isolated from spleens. Label-free proteomics combined with LC-MS/MS was used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and perform functional and pathway enrichment analyses. Differentially expressed protein-coding genes were validated at the mRNA level using RT-qPCR.ResultsA total of 3399 proteins were quantified across the four groups. Applying a threshold of |log₂ fold change| > 0.67 and q-value < 0.05, 913 DEPs were identified. These DEPs were significantly enriched in biological processes including immune system processes, protein-containing complexes, and structural molecule activity, as well as signaling pathways including AD, TGF-β, and apoptosis.ConclusionsOverall, HSP90AB1, HSP90AA1, BAG5, DNAJC8, CTSD, and ANXA1 may play a role in peripheral T-cell immune dysregulation in AD, with potential implications for central neuroinflammation. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on AD-related peripheral immune alterations, and its potential modulation of neuroinflammation, may be associated with expression changes in DEPs including Ppp2r1b, Pde2a, Casp8, Apaf-1, Dnajb11, and Dnajc13.