Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the major cause of senile dementia, is associated with progressive formation of neurofibrillary tangles and extraneuronal plaques composed of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ). Aβ has been also found within Alzheimer neurons in association with the lysosomal system, an acidic vacuolar compartment possessing numerous hydrolytic enzymes. Lysosomes have been shown to be involved in both the formation of Aβ and its toxicity to neurons. Another line of evidence implicates oxidative stress as an important factor in the development of AD. It is reported that oxidative damage is one of the earliest changes in AD and plays an important role in the development of the disease. Although both the lysosomal system and reactive oxygen species are involved in AD, the mechanisms of this involvement are not well understood.

To gain insight into the relationship between oxidative stress and the lysosomal system in AD pathogenesis, we focused our study on: 1) The effect of oxidative stress on intracellular distribution of Aβ; 2) the role of endogenous Aβ in oxidant-induced apoptosis; 3) the role of autophagy and APP processing in oxidant induced damage; and, 4) the intraneuronal localization of Aβ and its relationship to the lysosomal system.

In our study, hyperoxia (40% versus 8% ambient oxygen) was used as a model of mild oxidative stress in vitro, while transfected cells producing different amounts of Aβ were used to assess toxicity due to endogenous Aβ. It was found that: 1) oxidative stress induces autophagic uptake of Aβ, resulting in its partial accumulation within lysosomes; 2) oxidative stress can induce neuronal death through macroautophagy of Aβ and consequent lysosomal membrane permeabilization; 3) increased cellular Aβ production is associated with enhanced oxidative stress and enhanced macroautophagy, resulting in increased intralysosomal Aβ accumulation and consequent apoptosis; and, 4) in normal conditions, intracellular Aβ shows primarily cytosolic distribution, not related to lysosomes and other acidic vacuoles, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complexes, synaptic vesicles or mitochondria. Only a minor portion of Aβ shows partial colocalization with cellular organelles. Inhibition of secretion significantly increased Aβ colocalization with endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complexes, synaptic vesicles and lysosomes, as well as the amount of mitochondrial and cytosolic Aβ.

Oxidative stress induces intralysosomal autophagy-generated Aβ accumulation, consequently causing lysosomal membrane permeabilization and apoptosis. Our findings provide a possible explanation of the interactive role of oxidative stress and lysosomal system in AD pathogenesis, and may be helpful for a future therapeutic strategy against AD.