Neuropeptide Y, peptide YY and aluminum in Alzheimer's disease: Is there an etiological relationship?

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peptide YY (PYY) are members of the pancreatic pol ypeptide family which have a high degree of primary and tertiary structural homology, They function as neurotransmitters and humoral agents in central nervous system and gastrointestinal function. During the last two decades, NPY body fluid concentrations and NPY/PYY brain receptor numbers have been demonstrated to be altered during the course of Alzheimer's disease. Recen t research has shown that both NPY and PYY may be involved in aluminum meta bolism in animal models. A brief discussion of the structure, biological ac tivity and possible involvement of these peptides in aluminum metabolism an d Alzheimer's disease is contained herein. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.