1. Introduction
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is considered the leading cause of dementia and is becoming one of the most expensive and deadly diseases of our time
[1]. Thus, it is estimated that 50 million people worldwide endure dementia, and this number is set to rise to 152 million in 2050
[2][3]. Moreover, Alzheimer’s patients need specialized and expensive care, the annual cost of treatment worldwide is around a trillion US dollars, and it is predicted that this cost will significantly increase by 2030
[4].
The pathophysiology of the disease is complex and multifactorial and certainly not entirely known
[3]. There are two markers of the disease. One is β amyloid (Aβ), which accumulates abnormally in AD brain tissues and forms extracellular plaques known to induce synaptic alterations and neurodegeneration
[5][6]. The other is Tau protein, which forms intracellular neurofibrillary tangles that are also responsible for neurodegeneration
[7][8].
AD is traditionally divided into two forms: early and late onset forms. The early onset form is closely associated with mutations on three genes: the genes that encode for the amyloid precursor (APP) and for presenilin 1 and presenilin 2, which represent the catalytic core of γ-secretase, a key enzyme for the production of Aβ
[9]. The late onset form is caused by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors
[10][11]. APOE is the gene that was first associated with the development of the late form
[12] compared to other predisposing genes that have been described. These include genes involved in neuroinflammation (such as TREM2, TYROBP, and CD33)
[13][14][15], memory (CR1, PICALM, and BIN1)
[16][17][18], and lipid metabolism (ABCA7 and CLU)
[19][20].
Thus, although there are numerous factors associated with the development of the disease, Aβ represents one that is the most closely related to its pathogenesis. Aβ is composed of polypeptides of various lengths, and most of those found in the plaques are 40 and 42 amino acids long
[6]. Aβ 40 is the most abundant form and accounts for 90% of the amyloid present in the plaques; however, the longer form (Aβ 42) is predominant in the initial phases and aggregates faster than Aβ 40
[21]. Aβ is produced from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP is an integral membrane protein with a large, extracellular N-terminus and a shorter, cytoplasmic C-terminus
[22][23]. The amyloidogenic processing of APP involves two sequential cleavages operated by the β-secretases and γ-secretases. The β-secretase (BACE1) cleaves APP, generating an extracellular soluble fragment called sβAPP and an intracellular C-terminal end termed C99
[24]. C99 is further cleaved, within the membrane, by the γ-secretase
[25]. The γ-cleavage produces Aβ fragments of different lengths, and these are predominantly Aβ 40 and Aβ 42
[25].