Effect of Aβ1-40 on membrane permeability and intracellular free Ca2+ of nerve cells

The effects of soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 on membrane permeability and intracellular free Ca^2 of nerve cells were investigated by the laser confocal microscopy. Results indicate that: i) Effects of soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 on cell membrane permeability are both concentration-dependent. Soluble Aβ1-40 increases membrane permeability only at concentration of 3μmol/L, while the toxic effect of fibrillar Aβ1-40 is much stronger, its evident effect begins from 1μmol/L. When its concentration rose to 3μmol/L, not only the membrane permeability increased, but also the nuclear membrane broke seriously, ii) Both soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 at high concentrations increased the intracellular free Ca^2 , and the increased amplitudes are concentration-dependent. However, the fibrillar one induces the increase of intracellular Ca^2 much quicker and synchronously.These results indicate that some correlation exists between the neurotoxicity of high concentration soluble and fibrillar Aβ1-40 and the change of physico-chemical properties and intracellular Ca ion imbalance.