Rapid aggregation and assembly in aqueous solution of Aβ (25-35) peptide

The highly toxic A beta(25-35) is a peculiar peptide that differs from all the other commonly studied beta-amyloid peptides because of its extremely rapid aggregation properties and enhanced neurotoxicity. We investigated A beta(25-35) aggregation in H2O at pH 3.0 and at pH 7.4 by means of in-solution analyses. Adopting UV spectroscopy, Congo red spectrophotometry and thioflavin T fluorimetry, we were able to quantify, in water, the very fast assembling time necessary for A beta(25-35) to form stable insoluble aggregates and their ability to seed or not seed fibril growth. Our quantitative results, which confirm a very rapid assembly leading to stable insoluble aggregates of A beta(25-35) only when incubated at pH 7.4, might be helpful for designing novel aggregation inhibitors and to shed light on the in vivo environment in which fibril formation takes place.