Title:Adrenomedullin Expression in Alzheimer's Brain
VOLUME: 13 ISSUE: 4
Author(s):Ana Patricia Fernandez, Julia Serrano Masa, María Atocha Guedan, Hunter S. Futch and Ricardo Martínez-Murillo
Affiliation:Neurovascular Research Group, Department of Molecular,Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology, Instituto Cajal, CSIC, Avda. Dr. Arce 37, 28002-Madrid, Spain.
Keywords:Adrenomedullin, Alzheimer, human, neuroprotection, transgenic mice.
Abstract:Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent vasodilator peptide highly expressed throughout the brain
and originally isolated from pheochromocytoma cells. In addition to its vasoactive properties, AM is
considered a neuromodulator that possesses antiapoptotic and antioxidant properties that suggest that
this peptide can protect the brain from damage. In a previous study, we found that AM exerts a neuroprotective
action in the brain and that this effect may be mediated by regulation of nitric oxide synthases,
matrix metalloproteases, and inflammatory mediators. AM upregulation contributes to neuroprotection, but understanding
the precise roles played by AM and its receptor (RAMP2) in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer´s
disease (AD), awaits further research. In search of Alzheimer´s biomarkers, the expression levels of peptides with endothelial
vasodilatory action, including AM, were found to be significantly altered in mild AD or during pre-dementia stage
of mild cognitive impairment. These studies concluded that ratio of AM or its precursor fragment mid-regional proAM in
blood hold promise as diagnostic marker for AD. We are now presenting a study regarding the hypothesis that the AMRAMP2
system might be implicated in the pathophysiology of AD.
