Journal of Modern Biotechnology Research

Alzheimers disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world, is characterized by progressive cognitive decline. Recent studies have shown that the imbalance of metabolic homeostasis is closely related to the pathological process of AD, and the abnormal accumulation of lactic acid in the brain is significantly positively correlated with the degree of cognitive dysfunction. Astrocytes, as the main lactate producing cells in the central nervous system, maintain neuronal energy homeostasis through the astro-neuronal lactate shuttle (ANLS) mechanism. In the pathological state of AD, the dysfunction of the ANLS system leads to the breakdown of the dynamic balance of lactic acid production/clearance and the formation of pathological lactic acid accumulation, which accelerates neuronal damage and synaptic dysfunction through multiple pathways such as activating β-secretase, promoting Aβ deposition, intensifying abnormal phosphorylation of Tau protein, triggering neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. The accumulated increase of lactic acid level has become a new important pathological marker for the early diagnosis of AD. Based on this, this paper reviews the correlation mechanism between lactic acid and lactic acid shuttle and AD pathology, so as to deeply understand the pathogenesis of AD and propose new diagnosis and treatment strategies for AD.

Alzheimers disease; Lactate; Lactate shuttle; Astrocyte