Acrolein Induces Alzheimer’s Disease-like Pathologies in Vitro and in Vivo.

From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23296102

Toxicol Lett. 2013 Jan 4;217(3):184-191. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2012.12.023. [Epub ahead of print]

Huang YJ, Jin MH, Pi RB, Zhang JJ, Ouyang Y, Chao XJ, Chen MH, Liu PQ, Yu JC, Ramassamy C, Dou J, Chen XH, Jiang YM, Qin J.

Acrolein induces Alzheimer’s disease-like pathologies in vitro and in vivo.

According to the authors, “Acrolein, a ubiquitous dietary pollutant and by-product of oxidative stress, can induce cytotoxicity in neurons, which might play an important role in the etiology of AD. Here, we examined the effects of Acrolein on the AD pathologies in vitro and in vivo. We found Acrolein induced HT22 cells death in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Interestingly, Acrolein increased proteins’ levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP), β-secretase (BACE-1), and the amyloid β-peptide transporter receptor for advanced glycation end products, and decreased A-disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 10 levels. In vivo, chronic oral exposure to Acrolein (2.5mg/kg/day by intragastric gavage for 8 weeks) induced mild cognitive declination and pyknosis/atrophy of hippocampal neurons. The activity of superoxide dismutase was down-regulated while the level of malondialdehyde was up-regulated in rat brain. Moreover, Acrolein resulted in activation of astrocytes, up-regulation of BACE-1 in cortex, and down-regulation of ADAM-10 in hippocampus and cortex.”

The authors conclude, “Taken together, our findings suggest that exposure to Acrolein induces AD-like pathology in vitro and in vivo. Scavenging Acrolein might be beneficial for the therapy of AD.”

According to author Ronald Eisler, Handbook of Chemical Risk Assessment: Health Hazards to Humans, Volume 1, Acrolein was used by the French as a chemical weapon in World War I (see page 741):

http://books.google.com/books?id=t43H0Djym5UC&pg=PA741&lpg=PA741&dq=acrolein+world+war+I&source=bl&ots=5EOTfbXdrp&sig=smqATB_mcABbrPzPcMF2-5XcBfU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MTghUfLeKYjRiALj9oHgAQ&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=acrolein%20world%20war%20I&f=false

also from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18939530

Environ Sci Technol. 2008 Oct 1;42(19):7084-90.

Diurnal cycles of acrolein and other small aldehydes in regions impacted by vehicle emissions.

Spada N, Fujii E, Cahill TM.

“Wood smoke is an important source of ambient acrolein.”