Authors: L Soldati M Alberoni G Bianchi N Canal M Franceschi
Publish Date: 2013/12/28
Volume: 8, Issue: 2, Pages: 106-108
Abstract
Calpains calcium activated neutral proteases CANP and calpastatin CAST their specific inhibitor are involved in the proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein APP which is thought to be abnormal in Alzheimer’s disease AD We studied the CANP/CAST system in erythrocytes of 14 clinically probable AD patients 11 young and 14 old controls CANP and CAST activities in the control subjects significantly correlated with increasing age old controls showed a significant increase in CANP and CAST activities compared to young controls Values of CANP and CAST activities in AD patients were similar to those of young controls The physiological agerelated increase in proteolysis seems to be lost in AD patients and this could play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease However due to the overlap of results between patients and controls we could not reliably differentiate the healthy from the disease state on the basis of erythrocytic CANP/CAST activity
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