Title:Linking Diabetes to Alzheimer’s Disease: Potential Roles of Glucose
Metabolism and Alpha-Glucosidase
Volume: 21
Issue: 10
Author(s): Ai Sze Wee, Thao Dinh Nhu, Kooi Yeong Khaw*, Kim San Tang and Keng Yoon Yeong*
Affiliation:
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia,
Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
- Tropical Medicine and Biology (TMB) Multidisciplinary Platform,
Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500 Selangor, Malaysia
Keywords:
Alpha-glucosidase, Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid beta-peptides, apolipoprotein E, diabetes mellitus, hyperglycaemia, tau proteins.
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are more prevalent with ageing
and cause a substantial global socio-economic burden. The biology of these two conditions is well
elaborated, but whether AD and type 2 DM arise from coincidental roots in ageing or are linked by
pathophysiological mechanisms remains unclear. Research findings involving animal models have
identified mechanisms shared by both AD and type 2 DM. Deposition of β-amyloid peptides and formation
of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles are pathological hallmarks of AD. Type 2 DM, on the
other hand, is a metabolic disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance. Several
studies show that improving type 2 DM can delay or prevent the development of AD, and hence, prevention
and control of type 2 DM may reduce the risk of AD later in life. Alpha-glucosidase is an enzyme
that is commonly associated with hyperglycaemia in type 2 DM. However, it is uncertain if this
enzyme may play a role in the progression of AD. This review explores the experimental evidence that
depicts the relationship between dysregulation of glucose metabolism and AD. We also delineate the
links between alpha-glucosidase and AD and the potential role of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors in treating
AD.