Chitosan Oligosaccharides Inhibit/Disaggregate Fibrils and Attenuate Amyloid β-Mediated Neurotoxicity

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a large number of amyloid- (A) deposits in the brain. Therefore, inhibiting A aggregation or destabilizing preformed aggregates could be a promising therapeutic target for halting/slowing the progression of AD. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) have previously been reported to exhibit antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. Recent study shows that COS could markedly decrease oligomeric A-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in rat hippocampal neurons. However, the potential mechanism that COS reduce A-mediated neurotoxicity remains unclear. In the present study, our findings from circular dichroism spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and thioflavin T fluorescence assay suggested that COS act as an inhibitor of A aggregation and this effect shows dose-dependency. Moreover, data from thioflavin T assay indicated that COS could significantly inhibit fibrils formation and disrupt preformed fibrils in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the addition of COS attenuated A1-42-induced neurotoxicity in rat cortical neurons. Taken together, our results demonstrated for the first time that COS could inhibit A1-42 fibrils formation and disaggregate preformed fibrils, suggesting that COS may have anti-A fibrillogenesis and fibril-destabilizing properties. These findings highlight the potential role of COS as novel therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of AD.