Elevated 4-hydroxyhexenal in Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression

Multiple studies have demonstrated elevations of α, β-unsaturated aldehydes including 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and acrolein, in vulnerable regions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), preclinical Alzheimer's disease (PCAD), and late stage Alzheimer's disease (LAD) brain. However, there has been limited study of a third member, 4-hydroxyhexenal (HHE), a diffusible lipid peroxidation product of the ω-3 polyunstataturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In the present study levels of extractable and protein-bound HHE were quantified in the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus (HPG), superior and middle temporal gyri (SMTG), and cerebellum (CER) of MCI, PCAD, LAD, and normal control (NC) subjects. Levels of extractable and protein-bound HHE were increased in multiple regions in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Extractable HHE was significantly elevated in the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus (HPG) of PCAD and LAD subjects and protein-bound HHE was significantly higher in MCI, PCAD, and LAD HPG. A time- and concentration-dependent decrease in survival and a concentration-dependent decrease in glucose uptake were observed in primary cortical cultures treated with HHE. Together these data support a role for lipid peroxidation in the progression of Alzheimer's disease.