RESUMO
Objective To study the morphology of olfactory bulb(OB) neurons and the change of related proteins, and explore the causes of olfactory dysfuction in Alzheimer' s disease(AD). Methods Golgi-Cox staining technique was used to evaluate the morphological changes of neurons in the OB and anterior piriform cortex (aPC) of APP/PS1 AD model mice. The morphology of neurons was determined by Sholl analysis. Western blotting was used to evaluate the levels of protein expression. Results The results of Golgi-Cox showed that the dendrite length and branch number reduced significantly in the OB neurons of 3-5-month-old APP/PS1 mice, an age that the mice did not show the pathological characteristics and cognitive impairment of AD. Western blotting analysis showed that levels of potassium chloride cotransporter 2(KCC2), a potassium chloride transporter crucial for neuronal morphology and synaptic function, decreased significantly in the OB of 3-5-month-old APP/PS1 mice. Conclusion Abnormal neuronal morphology and KCC2 signal might be the basis of early olfactory dysfunction in AD. Thus, maintaining normal KCC2 signal may be one of the keys to intervene the olfactory abnormalities in the early stage of AD.