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Amyloid beta peptide potentiates cytokine secretion by interleukin-1 beta-activated human astrocytoma cells
Gitter BD, Cox LM, Rydel RE, May PC.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1995-11-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Neurodegenerative processes in Alzheimer disease (AD) are thought to be driven in part by the deposition of amyloid beta (A beta), a 39- to 43-amino acid peptide product resulting from an alternative cleavage of amyloid precursor protein. Recent descriptions of in vitro neurotoxic effects of A beta support this hypothesis and suggest toxicity might be mediated by A beta-induced neuronal calcium disregulation. In addition, it has been reported that "aging" A beta results in increased toxic potency due to peptide aggregation and formation of a beta-sheet secondary structure.
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APA 7th
Gitter, B. D., Cox, L. M., Rydel, R. E., & May, P. C. (1995). Amyloid beta peptide potentiates cytokine secretion by interleukin-1 beta-activated human astrocytoma cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.92.23.10738
Vancouver
Gitter BD, Cox LM, Rydel RE, May PC. Amyloid beta peptide potentiates cytokine secretion by interleukin-1 beta-activated human astrocytoma cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 1995. doi:10.1073/pnas.92.23.10738. PMID: 7479875.
BibTeX
@article{gitter1995-7479875,
author = {Gitter, B. D. and Cox, L. M. and Rydel, R. E. and May, P. C.},
title = {{Amyloid beta peptide potentiates cytokine secretion by interleukin-1 beta-activated human astrocytoma cells}},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {1995},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.92.23.10738},
pmid = {7479875},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.92.23.10738}
}
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Key findings
- Recent descriptions of in vitro neurotoxic effects of A beta support this hypothesis and suggest toxicity might be mediated by A beta-induced neuronal calcium disregulation.
- In addition, it has been reported that "aging" A beta results in increased toxic potency due to peptide aggregation and formation of a beta-sheet secondary structure.
- In addition, A beta might also promote neuropathology indirectly by activating immune/inflammatory pathways in affected areas of the brain (e.g., cortex and hippocampus).
- Here we report that A beta can modulate cytokine secretion [interleukins 6 and 8 (IL-6 and IL-8)] from human astrocytoma cells (U-373 MG).
Why it matters
In laboratory cell experiments, amyloid β increased cytokine secretion by astrocytoma cells already activated by interleukin-1 β, suggesting a possible indirect inflammatory route to damage. This is in-vitro work and does not show a treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: journal h-index 1,167 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1995 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 179 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.4 citations a year over 33 year(s) since 1995 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Patrick C. May: h-index 38 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Eli Lilly (United States): institution h-index 744 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 7479875) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
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