The Effect of Aftins on the Mitochondria

Overview

Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating disease that causes memory loss in individuals. Aß accumulates in the brain of individuals with Alzheimer’s, however, the reason for Aß being produced and the cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown. There are numerous hypotheses for why Alzheimer’s disease occurs. Two of these hypotheses are the amyloid cascade hypothesis and the mitochondrial cascade hypothesis. The amyloid cascade hypothesis states that the accumulation of Aß causes Alzheimer’s while the mitochondrial cascade hypothesis states that mitochondrial dysfunction causes Alzheimer’s disease. There are drugs that cause an increase in the production of Aß, aftins are one of these. These drugs are not always looked at from the perspective of the mitochondria and how the mitochondria affect the production of Aß. If aftins affect the mitochondria and cause an increase in Aß production, then further evidence for the mitochondria playing a role in the production of Aß will be acquired because a relationship between the mitochondria and Aß production will be shown. In an effort to look at aftins from the perspective of the mitochondria, SY5Y and iPSC-derived neurons were treated with aftins and the mitochondria were assessed in different ways. It was found that the mitochondria were affected and a relationship between the change in the mitochondria and the production of Aß was observed. This leads to the conclusion that the mitochondria do play a significant role in the production of Aß and could potentially be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Competition history

• JSHS 2022 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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