Betaine suppressed amyloid-beta formation, a component of senile plaques related to Alzheimer disease

Betaine was an endogenous catabolite of choline, which could be isolated from vegetables and marine products. Betaine could promote the metabolism of homocysteine in healthy subjects and was used for hyperlipidemia, coronary atherosclerosis, and fatty liver in clinic. Recent findings shown that Betaine rescued neuronal damage due to homocysteine induced Alzheimer's disease (AD) like pathological cascade, including tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid-beta (Abeta) deposition. Abeta was derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, and was a triggering factor for AD pathological onset. Here, we demonstrated that Betaine reduced Abeta levels by altering APP processing in N2a cells stably expressing Swedish mutant of APP. Betaine increased alpha-secretase activity, but decreased beta-secretase activity. Our data indicate that Betaine might play a protective role in Abeta production.

Liu, X.P., et al., Betaine suppressed Abeta generation by altering amyloid precursor protein processing. Neurol Sci, 2014