Effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on amyloid-β pathology in mouse skeletal muscle

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is a common age-related inflammatory myopathy characterized by the presence of intracellular inclusions that contain the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, a derivative of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Aβ is believed to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting that a link may exist between the two diseases. If AD and sIBM are linked, then treatments that lower Aβ in brain may prove useful for sIBM. To test this hypothesis, transgenic mice that overexpress APP in skeletal muscle were treated for 6 months with a variety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; naproxen, ibuprofen, carprofen or R-flurbiprofen), a subset of which reduce Aβ in brain and cultured cells. Only ibuprofen lowered Aβ in muscle, and this was not accompanied by corresponding improvements in phenotype. These results indicate that the effects of NSAIDs in the brain may be different from other tissues and that Aβ alone cannot account for skeletal muscle dysfunction in these mice.