Zinc ion induced prefibrillar oligomerization of Aβ peptides: From nanocoin to nanobelt

Zn(II)-induced aggregation of Aβ peptides is a key molecule feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here we study the effect of zinc ion on prefibrillar oligomerization of Aβ peptides at nanomolar concentration on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by atomic force microscope (AFM). The results demonstrate that the introducing of zinc ion promotes the prefibrillar oligomerization of Aβ peptides and the initial nanocoins are transformed into nanobelts. The research may facilitate the understanding of pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and suggest a rational design of potent inhibitor preventing the fibril growth of Aβ peptides.