Texas: The College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at Texas A&M University researchers discovered that cholesterol dramatically increases the toxicity of a peptide connected to the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

The Research titled "Lipids uniquely alter the secondary structure and toxicity of amyloid beta 1-42 aggregates," by Dmitry Kurouski, Ph.D., and research assistants Kiryl Zhaliazka and Mikhail Matyeyenka, was made possible by a $1.5 million Maximizing Investigators' Research Award from the National Institutes of Health. The publication of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, FEBS Journal, published it.

"The study found that some lipids can increase the toxicity of amyloid beta peptides, which are known to have a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease," said Kurouski, an assistant professor and the study's principal investigator from Bryan-College Station. We specifically found that the interaction of amyloid beta with lipids can result in the development of oligomers, which are tiny, hazardous groupings.

The study also demonstrated that these lipids can change the primary shape, or secondary structure, of amyloid beta peptides, which can increase their toxicity even further.

The processes underlying the harmful consequences of amyloid beta on the brain are now better understood, said Kurouski. He said,  the study's findings demonstrate a clear link between Alzheimer's disease and the alteration of the lipid content of neuronal membranes, which is in turn influenced by a person's diet. 

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