ABSTRACT
The etiopathogenesis of senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is related to a complex interplay of age-related, genetic, and environmental factors. Of the various environmental factors that have been implicated, the one with the greatest amount of supportive evidence is aluminum. The possible involvement of other neurotoxic metals in Alzheimer’s disease is inconclusive. The role of oxyradicals in the pathogenesis of neurotoxic injury is a topic of burgeoning research investigation, accompanied by a growing appreciation of the injurious effects of oxidative stress in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. The identification of the brain macrophage, namely the reactive microglial cell, as a potent source of free radical oxidant generation in response to various metallic and particulate stimuli provides a novel rationale for a greater understanding of its pathogenic function in neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic stratagems based on limiting and removing metallic contaminants within the brain, and also on controlling the inflammatory responses of microglia to various chronic stimuli with a number of antioxidant nutritional and pharmacological agents, provide a worthwhile research approach to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
