Insulin activated Akt rescues Aβ oxidative stress-induced cell death by orchestrating molecular trafficking.

Increasing evidence indicates that Alzheimer's disease, one of the most diffused aging pathologies, and diabetes may be related. Here, we demonstrate that insulin signalling protects LAN5 cells by amyloid-β42 (Aβ)-induced toxicity. Aβ affects both activation of insulin receptors and the levels of phospho-Akt, a critical signalling molecule in this pathway. In contrast, oxidative stress induced by Aβ can be antagonized by active Akt that, in turn, inhibits Foxo3a, a pro-apoptotic transcription factor activated by reactive oxygen species generation. Insulin cascade protects against mitochondrial damage caused by Aβ treatment, restoring the mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, we show t…