Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system manifested by cognitive and memory deterioration, a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, behavioral disturbances, and progressive impairment of daily life activities. Current pharmacotherapies are restricted to symptomatic interventions but do not prevent progressive neuronal degeneration. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed to intervene with these progressive pathological processes. In the past several years adenosine, a ubiquitously released purine ribonucleoside, has become important for its neuromodulating capability and its emerging positive experimental effects in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent research suggests that adenosine receptors play important roles in the modulation of cognitive function. The present paper attempts to review published reports and data from different studies showing the evidence of a relationship between adenosinergic function and AD-related cognitive deficits. Epidemiological studies have found an association between coffee (a nonselective adenosine receptor antagonist) consumption and improved cognitive function in AD patients and in the elderly. Long-term administration of caffeine in transgenic animal models showed a reduced amyloid burden in brain with better cognitive performance. Antagonists of adenosine A2A receptors mimic these beneficial effects of caffeine on cognitive function. Neuronal cell cultures with amyloid beta in the presence of an A2A receptor antagonist completely prevented amyloid beta-induced neurotoxicity. These findings suggest that the adenosinergic system constitutes a new therapeutic target for AD, and caffeine and A2A receptor antagonists may have promise to manage cognitive dysfunction in AD.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with the most common form of dementia in the elderly and accounting for around 50-60% of dementia in any age group [15]
In contrast to the findings presented in short-term studies, multiple studies have shown that long-term caffeine consumption may result in improved cognitive function or may reduce the decline of cognition and memory that are found in AD and the aging process
In more than two decades since the adenosine receptors were cloned, quite a large number of studies reported from many groups throughout the world highlight the role of adenosine in different systems of the body
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with the most common form of dementia in the elderly and accounting for around 50-60% of dementia in any age group [15]. The deposition of extracellular amyloid plaques containing amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide and formation of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles are classical histopathological hallmarks of AD [68]. In APP transgenic mice plaques are associated with neuronal death, neuritic dystrophy, dendritic spine loss and abnormal axonal morphology [90]. These altered morphologies lead to disrupted synaptic transmission [132]. Adenosine, a purine ribonucleoside has drawn the interest of researchers for its neuromodulatory and neuroprotective effects in several neurological diseases This endogenous nucleoside is found in all cells including glia and neurons, and plays important roles in the regulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability in the central nervous system [38].
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