Aldosterone Hypothesis for Cognitive Impairment in Diabetes Mellitus

Increased plasma aldosterone concentration is significantly associated with dementia, which is accentuated by diabetes mellitus (DM). Angiotensin II (AngII) deteriorates cognitive function through neuronal degradation. Lipoproteins, a major source of cholesterol for aldosterone biosynthesis, undergo glycoxidative modifications in the presence of hyperglycemia. We hypothesize that there would be a pathophysiological link between diabetically-modified lipoproteins, angiotensin II, and increased plasma aldosterone concentration for induction of cognitive impairment. Glycoxidized lipoproteins produce significantly more aldosterone from AngII-sensitized adrenocortical cells compared to their native counterparts. The elucidation of signaling mechanisms revealed that modified lipoproteins follow the similar signaling mechanism like AngII for adrenocortical aldosterone release via ERK1/2 and Janus kinase-2 (Jak-2)-mediated pathways. The enhanced aldosterone release from AngII-sensitized adrenocortical cells induced by glycoxidatively modified lipoproteins may play a crucial role in cognitive dysfunction in diabetic individuals along with AngII via a prevailing mode of signaling cascade involving ERK1/2- and Jak-2-dependent pathways.