Publications by authors named "Birgitte Villadsen"

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a multicopper oxidase with ferroxidase properties being of importance to the mobilisation and export of iron from cells and its ability to bind copper. In ageing humans, Cp deficiency is known to result in aceruloplasminemia, which among other is characterised by neurological symptoms. To obtain novel information about the functions of Cp in the central nervous system (CNS) we compared the brain proteome in forebrains from asymptomatic 4-6-month-old Cp-deficient (B6N(Cg)-Cp /J) and wild-type mice.

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Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a pleiotropic molecule with neurotrophic and immunomodulatory functions. Knowing the capacity of chronically activated microglia to produce IGF-1 may therefore show essential to promote beneficial microglial functions in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the expression of IGF-1 mRNA and IGF-1 along with the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) mRNA, and the amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque load in the hippocampus of 3- to 24-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic (Tg) and wild-type (WT) mice.

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Beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and chronic neuroinflammation are significant neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease. Microglial cells in aged brains have potential to produce cytokines such as TNF and IL-1 family members (IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-1Ra) and to phagocytose Aβ in Alzheimer's disease, however the inter-relationship between these processes is poorly understood. Here we show that % Aβ plaque load followed a sigmoidal trajectory with age in the neocortex of APPswe/PS1ΔE9 Tg mice, and correlated positively with soluble Aβ40 and Aβ42.

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