SUMMARY
Neuroinflammation contributes to impaired cognitive function in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by the aggregation of pathological tau. One major driver of both age- and tau-associated neuroinflammation is the NF-κB and NLRP3 signaling axis. However, current treatments targeting NF-κB or NLRP3 may have adverse/systemic effects, and most have not been clinically translatable. Here, we tested the efficacy of a novel, nucleic acid therapeutic (Nanoligomer) cocktail specifically targeting both NF-κB and NLRP3 in the brain for reducing neuroinflammation and improving cognitive function in old wildtype mice, and in a mouse model of tauopathy. We found that 4 weeks of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment strongly reduced neuro-inflammatory cytokine profiles in the brain and improved cognitive-behavioral function in both old and tauopathy mice. These effects of NF-κB/NLRP3-targeting Nanoligomer treatment were associated with reduced glial cell activation in old wildtype mice, less pathology in tauopathy mice, favorable changes in transcriptome signatures of inflammation (reduced) and neuronal health (increased) in both mouse models, and positive systemic effects. Collectively, our results provide a basis for future translational studies targeting NF-κB/NLRP3 in the brain, perhaps using Nanoligomers, to inhibit neuroinflammation and improve cognitive function with aging and neurodegenerative disease.
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