Disruption of estrogen receptor beta in mice brain results in pathological alterations resembling Alzheimer disease1

AIM: To study the pathological characteristics of the mice with estrogen receptor β (ERβ) disruption in brain. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry method was applied in the study. RESULTS: β-Amyloid peptide(Aβ42) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) immunoreactive substances were accumulated notably in cortex and limbic structures such as the hippocampus and amygdala in brain, resembling the pathological changes of human Alzheimer disease (AD). Aβ formed cloudy-like deposits in parenchyma of brain, while apoE also deposited along or surrounding the blood vessels. CONCLUSIONS: ERβ is crucial to the development of neural degenerative disease, so modulation of Aβ metabolism via ERβ signal pathway might be beneficial for AD prevention or therapy.