Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Anti-amyloidogenic effect of menaquinone-7 on beta-amyloid production and aggregation

Chung-Hyun Lee¹, Eun-Sang Jo¹, Ji-Yun Yeo¹, Seong Jun Choi², Kwang Woo Hwang² , So-Young Park¹

¹Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, South Korea; ²Department of Global Innovative Drugs, College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, South Korea.

For correspondence:- Kwang Hwang Email: khwang@cau.ac.kr Tel:+822820 5597

Accepted: 6 January 2022 Published: 31 January 2022

Citation: Lee C, Jo E, Yeo J, Choi SJ, Hwang KW, Park S. Anti-amyloidogenic effect of menaquinone-7 on beta-amyloid production and aggregation. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(1):93-97 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i1.15

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the beneficial effects of menaquinone-7 (MK-7), an isoform of vitamin K₂, against beta-amyloid (Aβ) production and aggregation in Alzheimer's disease using in vitro assays.

Methods: The cytotoxicity of MK-7 was determined by MTT assay. The amount of Aβ produced and secreted into the supernatant by APP-CHO cells treated with MK-7 was evaluated by ELISA. The expression of β-secretases and ADAM10, a representative α-secretase, was determined using western blot analysis. The production of sAPPβ and sAPPα fragments generated by β-secretases and α-secretase, respectively, were also determined by western blot analysis. The effect on Aβ aggregation was assessed using Thioflavin T (Th T) assay.

Results: MK-7 (up to 75 nM) significantly decreased Aβ production in APP-CHO cells. This was accompanied by decreased expression of β-secretase and lower production of sAPPβ (p < 0.05). However, expression of ADAM10 and production of sAPPα were not significantly affected. In contrast, MK-7 significantly decreased Aβ aggregation in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: MK-7 exerts anti-amyloidogenic effects via decreased production and lower aggregation of Aβ into oligomers and fibrils. Therefore, dietary supplementation with MK-7 may be beneficial for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords: Menaquinone-7, Beta-amyloid, β-Secretases, Aggregation, Alzheimer's disease, Vitamin K2