The Role of NOX4 in Parkinson’s Disease with Dementia

The neuropathology of Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PDD) has been reported to involve heterogeneous and various disease mechanisms. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) and amyloid beta (Aβ) pathology are associated with the cognitive status of PDD, and NADPH oxidase (NOX) is known to affect a variety of cognitive functions. We investigated the effects of NOX on cognitive impairment and on α-syn and Aβ expression and aggregation in PDD. In the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-injected mouse model, cognitive and motor function, and the levels of α-syn, Aβ, and oligomer A11 after inhibition of NOX4 expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) were measured by the Morris water maze, novel object recognition, rotation, and rotarod tests, as well as immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. After 6-OHDA administration, the death of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and the expression of α-syn and NOX1 in the substantia nigra were increased, and phosphorylated α-syn, Aβ, oligomer A11, and NOX4 were upregulated in the hippocampus. 6-OHDA dose-dependent cognitive impairment was observed, and the increased cognitive impairment, Aβ expression, and oligomer A11 production in 6-OHDA-treated mice were suppressed by NOX4 knockdown in the hippocampal DG. Our results suggest that increased expression of NOX4 in the hippocampal DG in the 6-OHDA-treated mouse induces Aβ expression and oligomer A11 production, thereby reducing cognitive function.