Effect of quinones on microtubule polymerization:: a link between oxidative stress and cytoskeletal alterations in Alzheimer's disease

Increases in the concentration of quinones, such as benzoquinone, in pathological processes mediated by oxidative imbalance play a role in the disorganization and disassembly of the microtubule network in both non-neural and neural cells. In this study, we show that the effects on microtubules appear to be a direct result of the action of the quinones on tubulin, the main component of microtubules, since tubulin modification by quinones, including benzoquinone and juglone, leads to aggregation into dimers and other oligomers. Therefore, quinones and quinone-mediated effects provide a mechanistic link between oxidative stress, microtubule disruption, neuronal dysfunction and death, i.e., key salient feature of Alzheimer's disease. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.