RAGE mediates amyloid-β peptide transport across the blood-brain barrier and accumulation in brain

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) interacts with the vasculature to influence Aβ levels in the brain and cerebral blood flow, providing a means of amplifying the Aβ-induced cellular stress underlying neuronal dysfunction and dementia. Systemic Aβ infusion and studies in genetically manipulated mice show that Aβ interaction with receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)-bearing cells in the vessel wall results in transport of Aβ across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and expression of proinflammatory cytokines and endothelin-1 (ET-1), the latter mediating Aβ-induced vasoconstriction. Inhibition of RAGE-ligand interaction suppresses accumulation of Aβ in brain parenchyma in a mouse transgenic model. These findings suggest that vascular RAGE is a target for inhibiting pathogenic consequences of Aβ-vascular interactions, including development of cerebral amyloidosis.