Royal Society of Chemistry, RSC Advances, 21(5), p. 16540-16548
DOI: 10.1039/c4ra13556c
Full text: Download
Uncontrolled aggregation of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is the main cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. Therapeutic approaches of intervention in amyloid diseases include the use of small molecules able to stabilize the soluble Aβ conformation, or to redirect the amyloidogenic pathway towards non-toxic and non-fibrillar states. Fluorometric measurements revealed that the 3-(4’-trifluoromethylphenyl)-5-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole, when irradiated, is able to interact with the monomeric Aβ peptide readdressing the aggregation pathway toward the formation of amorphous aggregates as evidenced by CD, AFM, and SAXS measurements. We hypothesize that this compound, under radiation, forms a reactive intermediate that sticks on the Aβ peptide by interfering with its fibrillation process. Cytotoxicity assays performed on LAN5 neuroblastoma cells suggest that the presence of oxadiazole reduces the toxicity of Aβ. This finding might be the starting of innovative therapies against Alzheimer’s Disease.