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Effects of Vitamin C on Fibroblasts from Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

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Abstract

Several therapies for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are currently under investigation. Some studies have reported that concentration of vitamins in biological fluids are lower in AD patients compared to control subjects and clinical evidence has shown the therapeutic potential of vitamin C and E in delaying AD progression. However, the molecular mechanism(s) that are engaged upon their administration in the APP metabolism in vitro or in vivo still need clarifying. Here, we investigate the effects of vitamin C supplementation, at physiological concentration, in skin fibroblasts obtained from SAD and FAD patients. This study shows that SAD patients’ fibroblasts exhibited the exclusive appearance of C-terminal fragments, derived from APP processing, without giving rise to the β-amyloid peptide, other than corresponding decreased levels of lysosomal enzymes, such as β-hexosaminidase, α-mannosidase and cathepsins B, L, and D.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Hilary Giles (MA) for her language advice. This study was supported by the Italian “Ministero dell’Istruzione, Università e Ricerca” (FIRB grant no. RBNE012LW8-001 to Al.O.), the Italian “Ministero della Salute” (grant no. RF-UMB-2006-339457 to Al.O.; (grants no. EBRI1.O, PS05.21, PS04.2O, and RF04.125O to An.O.), the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia - Italy - (grant no. CRPG 2007 to Al.O) the Comitato Telethon Fondazione Onlus, the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS), and the city of Gubbio- Italy - (grant n. GGP06209 to An.O.). We are extremely grateful to the Genetic Bank of the Laboratorio di Neurogenetica, CERC-IRCCS Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy http://www.hsantalucia.it/neurogen/index_en.htm) for the service provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Scienze Biochimiche, Università di Perugia, Via del Giochetto, 06126, Perugia, Italy

    Egidia Costanzi, Sabata Martino, Emanuele Persichetti, Roberto Tiribuzi, Carlo Massini & Aldo Orlacchio

  2. Laboratorio di Neurogenetica, Centro Europeo di Ricerca sul Cervello (CERC), Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Santa Lucia, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy

    Giorgio Bernardi & Antonio Orlacchio

  3. Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Viale Oxford 81, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Giorgio Bernardi & Antonio Orlacchio

Authors
  1. Egidia Costanzi
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  2. Sabata Martino
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  3. Emanuele Persichetti
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  4. Roberto Tiribuzi
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  5. Carlo Massini
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  6. Giorgio Bernardi
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  7. Antonio Orlacchio
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  8. Aldo Orlacchio
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Correspondence to Aldo Orlacchio.

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Special issue article in honor of Anna Maria Giuffrida-Stella.

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Costanzi, E., Martino, S., Persichetti, E. et al. Effects of Vitamin C on Fibroblasts from Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. Neurochem Res 33, 2510–2515 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9539-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9539-y

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