Memantine treatment decreases levels of secreted Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) and amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the human neuroblastoma cells

Memantine, an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, is a FDA-approved drug used for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several studies have documented protective roles of memantine against amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide-mediated damage to neurons in both in vitro and in vivo models. Memantine is also effective in reducing amyloid burden in the brain of APP transgenic mice. However, the exact mechanism by which memantine provides protection against Aβ-mediated neurodegenerative cascade, including APP metabolism, remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the effect of memantine on levels of the secreted form of Aβ precursor protein (APP), secreted Aβ and cell viability markers under short/acute conditions. We treated neuronal SK-N-SH cells with 10 μM memantine and measured levels of secreted total APP (sAPP), APPα isoform and Aβ(1–40) in a time dependent manner for up to 24 h. Memantine significantly decreased the levels of the secreted form of sAPP, sAPPα and Aβ(1–40) compared to vehicle treated cells. This change started as early as 8 h and continued for up to 24 h of drug treatment. Unlike sAPP, a slight non-significant increase in total intracellular APP level was observed in 24-h treated memantine cells. Taken together, these results suggest a role for memantine in the transport or trafficking of APP molecules away from the site of their proteolytic cleavage by the secretase enzymes. Such a novel property of memantine warrants further study to define its therapeutic utility.