Alzheimer's disease (AD), is the most common form of dementia. It is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually develops slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. The most common early symptom of Alzheimer's disease is the difficulty in remembering recently learned information. As the patient with Alzheimer’s disease ages, symptoms such as speaking problems, language problems, mood swings, disorientation, behavioural issues, and loss of motivation, can appear.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as rivastigmine, tacrine, donepezil and galantamine or, memantine, which is a NMDA receptor antagonist, are used to treat the patients suffering from AD but unfortunately, the benefit from their use is small. It is important to understand that none of these medications stops the disease itself.
However, many groups of researchers are seeking a solution to this problem and most of them are currently focused on the activity of a small peptide called Amyloid β (Aβ).
One of the hypothetical causes of this disease is depicted as the presence of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer patients, which are composed of Aβ.
These are peptides of 36–43 amino acids, obtained via proteolysis of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) by β and γ secretases.
An immunologic approach to the disease is made. Researchers have developped a monoclonal antibody, WO2 which can bind specifically to the Aβ’s epitope, thus leading the complex to be phagocyted.
Structural highlights
Here are the alpha carbon and β sheets on the complexe.
