The Tetramethylpyrazine Analogue T-006 Alleviates Cognitive Deficits by Inhibition of Tau Expression and Phosphorylation in Transgenic Mice Modeling Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

T-006, a small-molecule compound derived from tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), has potential for the treatment of neurological diseases. In order to investigate the effect of T-006 prophylactic treatment on an Alzheimer's disease (AD) model and identify the target of T-006, we intragastrically administered T-006 (3 mg/kg) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) transgenic mice (APP/PS1-2xTg and APP/PS1/Tau-3xTg) for 6 and 8 months, respectively. T-006 improved cognitive ability after long-term administration in two AD mouse models and targeted mitochondrial-related protein alpha-F1-ATP synthase (ATP5A). T-006 significantly reduced the expression of phosphorylated-tau, total tau, and APP while increasing the expression of synapse-associated proteins in 3xTg mice. In addition, T-006 modulated the JNK and mTOR-ULK1 pathways to reduce both p-tau and total tau levels. Our data suggested that T-006 mitigated cognitive decline primarily by reducing the p-tau and total tau levels in 3xTg mice, supporting further investigation into its development as a candidate drug for AD treatment.

Keywords: APP; ATP5A; Alzheimer’s disease (AD); Tau; mTOR-ULK1.