PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Abramov, Andrey Y. AU - Canevari, Laura AU - Duchen, Michael R. TI - β-Amyloid Peptides Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Astrocytes and Death of Neurons through Activation of NADPH Oxidase AID - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4042-03.2004 DP - 2004 Jan 14 TA - The Journal of Neuroscience PG - 565--575 VI - 24 IP - 2 4099 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/24/2/565.short 4100 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/24/2/565.full SO - J. Neurosci.2004 Jan 14; 24 AB - β-Amyloid (βA) peptide is strongly implicated in the neurodegeneration underlying Alzheimer's disease, but the mechanisms of neurotoxicity remain controversial. This study establishes a central role for oxidative stress by the activation of NADPH oxidase in astrocytes as the cause of βA-induced neuronal death. βA causes a loss of mitochondrial potential in astrocytes but not in neurons. The mitochondrial response consists of Ca2+-dependent transient depolarizations superimposed on a slow collapse of potential. The slow response is both prevented by antioxidants and, remarkably, reversed by provision of glutamate and other mitochondrial substrates to complexes I and II. These findings suggest that the depolarization reflects oxidative damage to metabolic pathways upstream of mitochondrial respiration. Inhibition of NADPH oxidase by diphenylene iodonium or 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-acetophenone blocks βA-induced reactive oxygen species generation, prevents the mitochondrial depolarization, prevents βA-induced glutathione depletion in both neurons and astrocytes, and protects neurons from cell death, placing the astrocyte NADPH oxidase as a primary target of βA-induced neurodegeneration.