Modulating Amyloid Pathology–Neural Hyperexcitability Crosstalk for Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy
Current therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) primarily target amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology using monoclonal antibodies, yet their limited efficacy partly results from unintended exacerbation of neural hyperexcitability. This highlights a critical but under-appreciated link between Aβ clearance and neuronal network dysfunction. Here, we designed R@AClipo, a nanotherapeutic platform that codelivers the TREM2 agonist peptide COG1410 and the glutamate modulator riluzole via Angiopep-2-modified liposomes capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. In AD model mice, R@AClipo upregulated TREM2 expression and enhanced microglial-mediated Aβ clearance. Concurrently, it reduced glutamate accumulation and mitigated neuronal hyperexcitability, as measured by <i>in vivo</i> fiber photometry. Notably, TREM2-driven Aβ clearance alone modestly reduced hyperexcitability, independent of riluzole, contrasting with the excitatory effects frequently associated with antibody-based Aβ therapies. This combinatorial strategy improved cognitive performance and restored neural activity patterns without observable toxicity. Together, these findings support a physiologically compatible strategy that targets the pathological crosstalk between Aβ accumulation and neural hyperexcitability, offering a promising avenue for AD intervention.
Authors
- Yu Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5654-4256)
- Mengni Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0462-8885)
- Yunjiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6465-7488)
- Jiqian Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-1557)
- Wei Dai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2347-532X)
- Dijia Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-7451)
- Gaolin Qiu
- Jinfu Li
- Chang Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3744-2940)
- Li Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2599-952X)
- Ying Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1241-6252)
- Xuesheng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3779-2964)
- Ding Zhang
- Zhilai Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6254-1935)
Institutions
- Anhui Medical University (CN)
- Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Key Laboratory of Guangdong Province (CN)
- Seattle Reproductive Medicine (US)
- First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (CN)
- Indiana University School of Medicine
- South China University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2025-10-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c08317
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.43