Particulate matter constituents trigger the formation of extracellular amyloid β and Tau -containing plaques and neurite shortening in vitro

In brief

Currently, the limited models of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease fail to replicate all pathological hallmarks of the disease, making it difficult to understand the role of known environmental risk factors, such as exposure to air pollution, in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we report that exposure of the differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line to iron oxide and diesel exhaust particles (but not exposure to CeO2 nanoparticles) leads to formation of extracellular amyloid beta-containing plaques and decreased neurite length. This neurodegenerative phenotype is consistent with in vivo research and replicates all pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, making the proposed in vitro model a useful tool for mechanistic investigations of environmental causes of Alzheimer’s disease.