The Alzheimer’s Peptide and its Coordination with Fe(II) and Formation of heme-Aβ Complex

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease has a profound neurological impact on approximately six million people’s lives in the United States today. Autopsies have shown a high amount of Fe(II) concentrations in the brain due to a low concentration of heme b. Heme b is lacking in the brain because of the formation of a heme-Aβ complex. This Aβ peptide, along with the high concentrations of iron is found in the neuritic tangles and plaque that are signs of oxidation in the brain. Through this study the coordination of Fe(II) in binding with the Aβ peptide and how the heme-Aβ complex is formed combine to seek a springboard for a cure.