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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Cells

Effects of Interleukin-6 Dysregulation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease: Unraveling Complexity Beyond Amyloidosis

  • Carla Canal1,2
  • Kevin Aguilar1,2,3
  • Gemma Comes1,2
  • Amalia Molinero1,2
  • Mercedes Giralt1,2
  • Paula Sanchis1,2,4
  • Juan Hidalgo1,2
4 affiliations
  1. 1Animal Physiology Unit, Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
  2. 2Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
  3. 3Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
  4. 4Centre for Physical Activity Research (CFAS), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Abstract

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine implicated in neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology, but its contribution to the phenotype associated with amyloid precursor protein (APP) overexpression remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of systemic IL-6 deficiency in Tg2576 mice by assessing survival, physiological parameters, behavior, learning and memory, APP/amyloid-β (Aβ)-related pathology, and gliosis in young and aged male and female mice. In this specific cohort of animals, Tg2576 mice exhibited reduced survival and body weight, together with age- and sex-dependent alterations in behavioral and cognitive parameters. Notably, despite increased circulating Aβ40 and Aβ42, Aβ40 and Aβ42 were undetectable in the brain, and amyloid plaques were absent in Tg2576 mice compared with plaque-positive control mice. IL-6 deficiency partially rescued several of these phenotypes, particularly in females. Thus, the APP overexpression-associated phenotype observed here occurred in the absence of detectable cerebral amyloidosis, highlighting that APP overexpression-associated alterations can manifest independently of amyloid plaque deposition. Together, our findings underscore the complexity of AD pathogenesis and emphasize the multifaceted nature of IL-6 in both physiological and neurodegenerative processes, particularly in the context of AD.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{canal2026effects,
  title = {{Effects of Interleukin-6 Dysregulation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease: Unraveling Complexity Beyond Amyloidosis}},
  author = {Carla Canal and Kevin Aguilar and Gemma Comes and Amalia Molinero and Mercedes Giralt and Paula Sanchis and Juan Hidalgo},
  journal = {Cells},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/cells15211921},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/21/1921},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Effects of Interleukin-6 Dysregulation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease: Unraveling Complexity Beyond Amyloidosis
AU  - Carla Canal
AU  - Kevin Aguilar
AU  - Gemma Comes
AU  - Amalia Molinero
AU  - Mercedes Giralt
AU  - Paula Sanchis
AU  - Juan Hidalgo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - Cells
DO  - 10.3390/cells15211921
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/21/1921
AB  - Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine implicated in neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology, but its contribution to the phenotype associated with amyloid precursor protein (APP) overexpression remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of systemic IL-6 deficiency in Tg2576 mice by assessing survival, physiological parameters, behavior, learning and memory, APP/amyloid-β (Aβ)-related pathology, and gliosis in young and aged male and female mice. In this specific cohort of animals, Tg2576 mice exhibited reduced survival and body weight, together with age- and sex-dependent alterations in behavioral and cognitive parameters. Notably, despite increased circulating Aβ40 and Aβ42, Aβ40 and Aβ42 were undetectable in the brain, and amyloid plaques were absent in Tg2576 mice compared with plaque-positive control mice. IL-6 deficiency partially rescued several of these phenotypes, particularly in females. Thus, the APP overexpression-associated phenotype observed here occurred in the absence of detectable cerebral amyloidosis, highlighting that APP overexpression-associated alterations can manifest independently of amyloid plaque deposition. Together, our findings underscore the complexity of AD pathogenesis and emphasize the multifaceted nature of IL-6 in both physiological and neurodegenerative processes, particularly in the context of AD.
SN  - 2073-4409
ER  -