Cerebral amyloid-beta (A beta) deposition is central to the neuropathologic
al definition of Alzheimer disease (AD) with A beta related toxicity being
linked to its beta-sheet conformation and/or aggregation. We show that a be
ta-sheet breaker peptide (iA beta 5) dose-dependently and reproducibly indu
ced in vivo disassembly of fibrillar amyloid deposits, with control peptide
s having no effect. The iA beta 5-induced disassembly prevented and/or reve
rsed neuronal shrinkage caused by A beta and reduced the extent of interleu
kin-1 beta positive microglia-like cells that surround the A beta deposits.
These findings suggest that beta-sheet breakers, such as iA beta 5 or simi
lar peptidomimetic compounds, may be useful for reducing the size and/or nu
mber of cerebral amyloid plaques in A beta, and subsequently diminishing A
beta-related histopathology.