Inflammasome activation in modulation of Alzheimer's Disease by alcohol

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Neuroinflammation has emerged as a critical feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis and alcohol-related brain damage. Previous studies, including our own, have shown that innate immune signaling pathways particularly NLRP3 inflammasome activation play an important role both in AD and in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation. However, the influence of heavy alcohol use on AD remains largely unknown. The focus of our research is to evaluate the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on the development and progression of AD and identify critical molecular pathways that may provide therapeutic targets. Activation of the multiprotein complex, inflammasome, by PAMPs or DAMPs involves two signals: first, TLR-mediated activation that increases pro-IL-1ß and second, NLRP-mediated inflammasome assembly and caspase-1 activation that cleaves pro- IL-1ß to mature IL-1ß. We previously showed increased IL-1ß production as a result of NLRP3/ASC inflammasome and caspase-1 activation in the brain after chronic alcohol feeding. In the APP/PS1 and Tau22 mouse models of AD, caspase-1 activity and IL-1ß production is dependent on NLRP3 and NLRP3 inflammasome activation drives Aß and tau pathology. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that chronic alcohol exposure accelerates and exacerbates AD features. We postulate that chronic alcohol-induced NLRP3/ASC inflammasome activation contributes to the development and progression of AD via amplified neuroinflammation. The aims of this study are 1. To characterize the effect of long-term and excessive alcohol consumption on AD features using APP/PS1 and Tau22 mice 2. To delineate the role of NLRP3/ASC inflammasome components in alcohol-mediated neuroinflammation in AD mice 3. To evaluate the contribution of IL-1 signaling pathway in inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation in response to alcohol consumption in AD mice. These experiments will provide novel insight on the role of alcohol-mediated inflammasome activation in the development and progression of AD and evaluate preclinical interventions that interrupt inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation by targeting key pathogenic pathways discovered in this research.