Performance of chitosan as an adsorbent of copper ions in the presence of beta-amyloid or equivalent protein

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative brain disease, which is becoming more frequent in the population. One of the causes of the the disease is the anomalous binding that occurs between the beta-amyloid protein and copper ion leading to the formation of an insoluble aggregate beta-amyloid-Cu. With aging, there is also an increase in the production of free radicals that amplify the disease. Chelating agents, in principle, can be pharmacologically used to treat heavy metal poisoning. Biopolymers that present chelating action, such as chitosan, can be of value for treatment of AD, because of their biocompatibility, ie, usually do not cause rejection problems being incorporated naturally to body tissues. Chitosan is also hydrophilic, nontoxic, biodegradable and highly versatile, as it allows changes in their physical and chemical properties and also has an excellent ability to remove metal ions. The aim of this work is to study the chelating action of chitosan, acting in the removal of copper ions, in the presence of beta-amyloid or equivalent compounds that provide histidines (known as being responsible for binding to the copper ion). It is expected, with this information, to consolidate knowledge in the area of equilibrium of these species in aqueous solutions, as well as strategies to contribute in the attenuation of AD. (AU)