Current understanding of the interactions between metal ions and Apolipoprotein E in Alzheimer?s disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common type of dementia in the elderly, is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no effective disease-modifying treatments to date. Studies have shown that an imbalance in brain metal ions, such as zinc, copper, and iron, is closely related to the onset and progression of AD. Many efforts have been made to understand metal-related mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for AD. Emerging evidence suggests that interactions of brain metal ions and apolipoprotein E (ApoE), which is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset AD, may be one of the mechanisms for neurodegeneration. Here, we summarize the key points regarding how metal ions and ApoE contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. We further describe the interactions between metal ions and ApoE in the brain and propose that their interactions play an important role in neuropathological alterations and cognitive decline in AD.