Figure 1

ANDRO reduces Aβ aggregates in the brains of young AβPPswe/PS-1 mice. (a) Representative Th-S staining used to detect amyloid deposits in brains of 7-month-old AβPPswe/PS-1 mice with vehicle and ANDRO treatment. (b) The amyloid burden was quantified using Th-S staining and the number per area in different separated cortex layers and in hippocampi. White bars show double AβPPswe/PS-1 control mice, and black bars show AβPPswe/PS-1 ANDRO, at 10x magnification. The right-inferior panel represents the slot blot from hippocampus samples, using 6 μg of protein per slot incubated with the A11 antibody. Normalized densitometry analysis. (c) Cumulative frequency plot of amyloid plaque size for control and ANDRO-treated AβPPswe/PS-1 mice. (d) Characterization of the amyloid Th-S-positive plaques presented in the brains of 7-month-old AβPPswe/PS-1 mice; type 1, plaques displaying a reticular appearance without a central dense core; type 2, plaques displaying a dense core surrounded by either fibrillar material in the shape of a corona (type 2a) or radiating from the center (type 2b) or displaying a dense core with no surrounding material (type 2c). (e) Th-S staining used to detect amyloid deposits in brains of 12-month-old AβPPswe/PS-1 transgenic mice treated with vehicle (left panel) and ANDRO (right panel). (f) Amyloid burden was quantified using Th-S staining and the number of amyloid plaques per area in separated cortex layers, and in hippocampi. White bars show AβPPswe/PS-1 control mice, and black bars show AβPPswe/PS-1 ANDRO, at 10x magnification. The right-inferior panel represents the slot blot from hippocampus samples of mature AβPPswe/PS-1 control and ANDRO-treated mice. Graph represents the normalized densitometry analysis. Three animals were used per experimental group. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical differences were calculated by Student’s t test, followed by Dunnett’s post hoc test. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences (*p < 0.05).