Ethanol Alters APP Processing and Aggravates Alzheimer-Associated Phenotypes

The majority of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are sporadic with unknown causes. Many dietary factors including excessive alcohol intake have been reported to increase the risk to develop AD. The effect of alcohol on cognitive functions and AD pathogenesis remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the relationship between ethanol exposure and Alzheimer's disease. Cell cultures were treated with ethanol at different dosages for different durations up to 48 h and an AD model mouse was fed with ethanol for 4 weeks. We found that ethanol treatment altered amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) processing in cells and transgenic AD model mice. High ethanol exposure increased the levels of APP and beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and significantly promoted amyloid beta protein (A beta) production both in vitro and in vivo. The upregulated APP and BACE1 expressions upon ethanol treatment were at least partially due to the activation of APP and BACE1 transcriptions. Furthermore, ethanol treatment increased the deposition of A beta and neuritic plaque formation in the brains and exuberated learning and memory impairments in transgenic AD model mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate that excessive ethanol intake facilitates AD pathogenesis.