Hemorheological changes and overproduction of cytokines from immune cells in mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type: adverse effects on cerebromicrovascular system.

An association between hemorheological alterations (i.e., whole-blood and plasma hyperviscosity, reduced erythrocyte deformability, increased red cell aggregation, hyperfibrinogenemia and increased acute-phase protein levels) and the mild stage of senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) was suggested in the present study. In particular, hyperfibrinogenemia and the increase of erytrhocyte aggregation were correlated with the increased generation and release of TNF-α and IFN-γ (spontaneous release and IL-2-modulated release) from natural killer (NK) lymphocytes (CD16+, CD56+, CD3- cells) of patients with DAT; whereas a normal cytokine release from NK cells was found in healthy old subjects and in patients with vascular dementia (VaD). The in vitro and in vivo administration of the hemorheologic drug pentoxifylline (PTX) significantly reduced spontaneous and IL-2-modulated cytokine overproduction from NK cells (in vitro effects with 500 U/ml and 1000 U/ml/NK cells) and improved all the hemorheological parameters. Taken together, these data suggest that disturbances of cerebrovascular flow and of hemorheology could be considered a negative component related to the pathogenesis and progression of DAT neurodegeneration. The association between hemorheological changes and alterations of TNF-α and IFN-γ release from NK may indicate a potential immunorheologic mechanism associated with cerebrovascular damage in DAT and could suggest the use of vascular protective drugs as support of the main pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy of AD.