An isoform-selective p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor rescues early entorhinal cortex dysfunctions in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Neuroinflammation is a fundamental mechanism in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression. The stress-induced activation of the p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) leads to increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and neurodegeneration. We investigated the effects of an isoform selective p38α MAPK inhibitor, MW01-18-150SRM (MW150), administered at 2.5 mg/kg/day (i.p.; 14 days) on early entorhinal cortex (EC) alterations in an AD mouse model carrying human mutations of the amyloid precursor protein (mhAPP). We used electrophysiological analyses with long-term potentiation (LTP) induction in EC-containing brain slices and EC-relevant associative memory tasks. We found that MW150 was capable of rescuing LTP in 2-month old mhAPP mice. Acute delivery of MW150 to brain slices was similarly effective in rescuing LTP, with a comparable efficacy to that of the widely used multi-kinase inhibitor SB203580. MW150-treated mhAPP mice demonstrated improved ability to discriminate novel associations between objects and their position/context. Our findings suggest that the selective inhibition of the stress-activated p38α MAPK with MW150 can attenuate the EC dysfunctions associated with neuroinflammation in an early stage of AD progression.