Aerosol Delivery of Curcumin Reduced Amyloid-β Deposition and Improved Cognitive Performance in a Transgenic Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: McClure, Richard^{a; b; h} | Ong, Henry^{a; b} | Janve, Vaibhab^{a; b} | Barton, Shawn^{a; b} | Zhu, Meiying^{a; b} | Li, Bo^{a; b} | Dawes, Mary^f | Jerome, W. Gray^g | Anderson, Adam^{a; b; c} | Massion, Pierre^d | Gore, John C.^{a; b; c; h} | Pham, Wellington^{a; b; c; d; e; h; *}

Affiliations: [a] Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA | [b] Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA | [c] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA | [d] Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA | [e] Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Nashville, TN, USA | [f] Vanderbilt Cell Imaging Core Laboratory, Nashville, TN, USA | [g] Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA | [h] Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Wellington Pham, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161, 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-2310, USA. Tel.: +1 615 936 7621; E-mail: wellington.pham@vanderbilt.edu.

Abstract: We report a novel approach for the delivery of curcumin to the brain via inhalation of the aerosol for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The percentage of plaque fraction in the subiculum and hippocampus reduced significantly when young 5XFAD mice were treated with inhalable curcumin over an extended period of time compared to age-matched nontreated counterparts. Further, treated animals demonstrated remarkably improved overall cognitive function, no registered systemic or pulmonary toxicity associated with inhalable curcumin observed during the course of this work.

Keywords: Aerosol, amyloid-β, curcumin, nebulization

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160289

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 797-811, 2017