Effect of Aluminum, Iron, and Zinc Ions on the Assembly of Microtubules from Brain Microtubule Proteins

Resumo

Al³⁺, Fe³⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions can disturb microtubule assembly from tubulin and microtubuleassociated proteins in rat brain. The main structural forms of these microtubules are rings and tangled bundles. These structures are formed only in the presence of Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions. Therefore, Zn²⁺ ions can be excluded from possible causes of structural abnormalities in microtubules during Alzheimer’s disease. Al³⁺ ions are the most probable etiological cause of Alzheimer’s disease. The concentration of Al³⁺ ions affecting the structure of microtubules is one order of magnitude lower than that of Fe³⁺ ions (10 and 100 μM, respectively), which corresponds to their brain concentration reported in Alzheimer’s disease.