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Lipopolysaccharide exposure during late embryogenesis triggers and drives Alzheimer-like behavioral and neuropathological changes in CD-1 mice
Wang F, Zhang ZZ, Cao L, Yang QG, Lu QF, Chen GH.. Brain and behavior, 2020-01-30
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Introduction Infections could contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology in human. However, experimental evidence for a causal relationship between infections during the prenatal phase and the onset of AD is lacking. Methods CD-1 mothers were intraperitoneally received lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with two doses (25 and 50 μg/kg) or normal saline every day during gestational days 15-17. A battery of behavioral tasks was used to assess the species-typical behavior, sensorimotor capacity, anxiety, locomotor activity, recognition memory, and spatial learning and memory in 1-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 22-month-old offspring mice. An immunohistochemical technology was performed to detect neuropathological indicators consisting of amyloid-β (Aβ), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the hippocampus. Results Compared to the same-aged controls, LPS-treated offspring had similar behavioral abilities and the levels of Aβ42, p-tau, and GFAP at 1 and 6 months old. From 12 months onward, LPS-treated offspring gradually showed decreased species-typical behavior, sensorimotor ability, locomotor activity, recognition memory, and spatial learning and memory, and increased anxieties and the levels of Aβ42, p-tau, and GFAP relative to the same-aged controls. Moreover, this damage effect (especially cognitive decline) persistently progressed onwards. The changes in these neuropathological indicators significantly correlated with impaired spatial learning and memory. Conclusions Prenatal exposure to low doses of LPS caused AD-related features including behavioral and neuropathological changes from midlife to senectitude.
Key findings
- Results Compared to the same-aged controls, LPS-treated offspring had similar behavioral abilities and the levels of Aβ42, p-tau, and GFAP at 1 and 6 months old.
- The changes in these neuropathological indicators significantly correlated with impaired spatial learning and memory.
Why it matters
Mice exposed to lipopolysaccharide during late embryogenesis developed Alzheimer-like behavioral and neuropathological changes from 12 months onward, including increased Aβ42, p-tau and GFAP. This is animal research suggesting a possible link between early infection and later Alzheimer-like changes, not a treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 35/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 34 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 35 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Brain and behavior) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Brain and Behavior: journal h-index 92 (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 | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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 | Laboratory or animal study (title names “mice”) — scores zero |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 16 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Gui‐Hai Chen holds only 7 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Anhui Medical University: institution h-index 405 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31997558) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 34 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 34 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 35 out of 100. |
| Total | 35 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Wang, F., Zhang, Z. Z., Cao, L., Yang, Q. G., Lu, Q. F., & Chen, G. H. (2020). Lipopolysaccharide exposure during late embryogenesis triggers and drives Alzheimer-like behavioral and neuropathological changes in CD-1 mice. Brain and behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1546
Vancouver
Wang F, Zhang ZZ, Cao L, Yang QG, Lu QF, Chen GH. Lipopolysaccharide exposure during late embryogenesis triggers and drives Alzheimer-like behavioral and neuropathological changes in CD-1 mice. Brain and behavior. 2020. doi:10.1002/brb3.1546. PMID: 31997558.
BibTeX
@article{wang2020-31997558,
author = {Wang, F. and Zhang, Z. Z. and Cao, L. and Yang, Q. G. and Lu, Q. F. and Chen, G. H.},
title = {{Lipopolysaccharide exposure during late embryogenesis triggers and drives Alzheimer-like behavioral and neuropathological changes in CD-1 mice}},
journal = {Brain and behavior},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1002/brb3.1546},
pmid = {31997558},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1546}
}
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