Uptake, Degradation, and Release of Fibrillar and Soluble Forms of Alzheimer's Amyloid β-Peptide by Microglial Cells

Microglia are phagocytic cells that are the main inflammatory response cells of the central nervous system. In Alzheimer's disease brain, activated microglia are concentrated in regions of compact amyloid deposits that contain the 39–43-amino acid Aβ peptide. We examined the uptake, degradation, and release of small aggregates of fibrillar Aβ (fAβ) or soluble Aβ (sAβ) by microglia. We found that although some degradation of fAβ was observed over...