Amyloid beta-peptide (AbetaP), the central constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, has been shown to be a source of free radical oxidative stress that may lead to neurodegeneration. In particular, it is well known that oxidation of methionine 35, is strongly related to the pathogenesis of AD, since it represents the residue in AbetaP most susceptible to oxidation in vivo. In the present study, we used the fragment 31-35 of AbetaP, which has a single methionine at residue 35, in order to investigate the influence of the oxidation state of methionine-35 on the toxic and pro-apoptotic effects induced by Abeta(31-35) on isolated brain mitochondria. The obtained results show that exposure of isolated mitochondria from rat brain to AbetaP(31-35) determines (i) a large release of cytochrome c (ii) a significant reduction in mitochondrial respiration and (iii) a slight drop in the mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsi). In contrast, the amplitude of these events resulted attenuated or completely abrogated in isolated brain mitochondria exposed to the AbetaP(31-35)Met35OX, in which methionine 35 was oxidized to methionine sulfoxide. We have further characterized the action of AbetaP(31-35) and Abeta(31-35)Met35OX peptide on PC12 cells. Although these two peptides, compromised mitochondrial function at a different extent as assessed by MTT reduction, neither one of them decreased cell viability as measured by Trypan Blue exclusion assay. The results obtained in this study support the hypothesis that the oxidative state of Met-35 may play a critical role in the mechanisms responsible of neurotoxicity exerted by this peptide.
Copyright 2004 IBRO