Bibliographic
Humanin (HN) is a novel 24-amino acid peptide originally identified from an occipital lobe of an AD patient, which has been reported to be an effective neuroprotective agent against cytotoxicity by all sorts of AD-relevant insults in vitro. S14G-Humanin (HNG), a derivative of HN, has been shown to enhance its in vitro neuroprotective activity to an extent about 1000-fold greater than HN. A recent study has reported a beneficial effect of intranasal HNG treatment on memory deficit and Aβ accumulation in triple transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice at the early plaque-bearing stage. However, whether HNG treatment has the disease-modifying efficacy on AD-like cognitive deficits and neuropathology with pre-existing well-established beta amyloid plaque pathology remains unclear. To this end the authors used 9-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 mice with pre-existing robust amyloid plaque pathology to investigate the effects of chronic HNG treatment on the progression of cognitive dysfunction and Aβ-associated neuropathology. The data found that that HNG treatment: of these mice ameliorated the spatial learning and memory deficits, reduced cerebral plaque deposition and insoluble Aβ levels; reduced glial activation and lowered levels of inflammatory cytokines. Taken together this study suggests that HNG has potential as a pharmacotherapeutic intervention in the development of cognitive deficits and neuropathology seen in the cases of established AD.