Increased Acetylcholine Levels and Other Brain Effects in 5XFAD Mice after Treatment with 8,14-Dihydroxy Metabolite of Efavirenz

Efavirenz (EFV), an FDA-approved anti-HIV drug, has off-target binding to CYP46A1, the CNS enzyme which converts cholesterol to 24-hydroxycholesterol. At small doses, EFV allosterically activates CYP46A1 in mice and humans and mitigates some of the Alzheimer’s disease manifestations in 5XFAD mice, an animal model. Notably, in vitro, all phase 1 EFV hydroxymetabolites activate CYP46A1 as well and bind either to the allosteric site for EFV, neurotransmitters or both. Herein, we treated 5XFAD mice with 8,14-dihydroxyEFV, the binder to the neurotransmitter allosteric site, which elicits the highest CYP46A1 activation in vitro. We found that treated animals of both sexes had activation of CYP46A1 and cholesterol turnover in the brain, decreased content of the amyloid beta 42 peptide, increased levels of acetyl-CoA and acetylcholine, and altered expression of the brain marker proteins. In addition, male mice had improved performance in the Barnes Maze test and increased expression of the acetylcholine-related genes. This work expands our knowledge of the beneficial CYP46A1 activation effects and demonstrates that 8,14-dihydroxyEFV crosses the blood–brain barrier and has therapeutic potential as a CYP46A1 activator.