Amyloid-beta-induced chemokine production in primary human macrophages and astrocytes.

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), chemotaxis might be responsible for attracting glial cells towards the neuritic plaque. Using primary monocyte-derived macrophages and primary adult astrocytes as a model, amyloid-beta (Abeta) (1-42) was able to stimulate the production, as measured by RT-PCR, of MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta mRNA in macrophages and MCP-1 in astrocytes. Cocultures showed in unstimulated as well as in Abeta-stimulated cells an increase in MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta and MCP-1 mRNA. ELISAs of supernatant samples of stimulated macrophages and astrocytes also showed an increase in MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta in macrophages and MCP-1 in astrocytes. Stimulated cocultures showed an increase in MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta and MCP-1 protein levels in contrast to unstimulated cocultures.