Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding e...Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding environment. This study focused on DEHP＇s effect on the central nervous system by determining the precise DEHP content in mice brain tissue after exposure to the chemical, to evaluate the specific exposure range. Primary neuronal-astrocyte co-culture systems were used as in vitro models for chemical hazard identification of DEHP. Oxidative stress was hypothesized as a probable mechanism involved, and therefore the total reactive oxygen species （ROS） concentration was determined as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In addition, NeuriteTracer, a neurite tracing plugin with ImageJ, was used to develop an assay for neurotoxicity to provide quantitative measurements of neurological parameters, such as neuronal number, neuron count and neurite length, all of which could indicate neurotoxic effects. The results showed that with 1 nmol/L DEHP exposure, there was a significant increase in ROS concentrations, indicating that the neuronal-astrocyte cultures were injured due to exposure to DEHP. In response, astrocyte proliferation （gliosis） was initiated, serving as a mechanism to maintain a homeostatic environment for neurons and protect neurons from toxic chemicals. There is a need to assess the cumulative effects of DEHP in animals to evaluate the possible uotake and effects on the human neuronal system from exoosure to DEHP in the indoor environment.展开更多
Diabetic retinopathy(DR),one of the common complications of diabetes,is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries.It has been traditionally regarded as a purely micro...Diabetic retinopathy(DR),one of the common complications of diabetes,is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries.It has been traditionally regarded as a purely microvascular disease in the retina.However,an increasing number of studies have shown that DR is a complex neurovascular disorder that affects not only vascular structure but also neural tissue of the retina.Deterioration of neural retina could precede microvascular abnormalities in the DR,leading to microvascular changes.Furthermore,disruption of interactions among neurons,vascular cells,glia and local immune cells,which collectively form the neurovascular unit,is considered to be associated with the progression of DR early on in the disease.Therefore,it makes sense to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse retinal neurodegeneration,neuroinflammation and impaired cell-cell interactions of the neurovascular unit in early stage DR.Here,we present current perspectives on the pathophysiology of DR as a neurovascular disease,especially at the early stage.Potential novel treatments for preventing or reversing neurovascular injuries in DR are discussed as well.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neur...Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles,fo rmed by tau protein,in the cells.While there are amyloid-β-ta rgeting therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,these therapies are costly and exhibit potential negative side effects.Mounting evidence suggests significant involvement of tau protein in Alzheimer’s disease-related neurodegeneration.As an important microtubule-associated protein,tau plays an important role in maintaining the stability of neuronal microtubules and promoting axonal growth.In fact,clinical studies have shown that abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein occurs before accumulation of amyloid-βin the brain.Various therapeutic strategies targeting tau protein have begun to emerge,and are considered possible methods to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease.Specifically,abnormalities in post-translational modifications of the tau protein,including aberrant phosphorylation,ubiquitination,small ubiquitin-like modifier(SUMO)ylation,acetylation,and truncation,contribute to its microtubule dissociation,misfolding,and subcellular missorting.This causes mitochondrial damage,synaptic impairments,gliosis,and neuroinflammation,eventually leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.This review summarizes the recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of tau protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and discusses tau-targeted treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.展开更多
Spinal cord injury（SCI） is a condition without a cure,affecting sensory and/or motor functions.The physical trauma to the spinal cord initiates a cascade of molecular and cellular events that generates a non-permiss...Spinal cord injury（SCI） is a condition without a cure,affecting sensory and/or motor functions.The physical trauma to the spinal cord initiates a cascade of molecular and cellular events that generates a non-permissive environment for cell survival and axonal regeneration.Among these complex set of events are damage of the blood-brain barrier,edema formation,inflammation,oxidative stress,demyelination,reactive gliosis and apoptosis.The multiple events activated after SCI require a multi-active drug that could target most of these events and produce a permissive environment for cell survival,regeneration,vascular reorganization and synaptic formation.Tamoxifen,a selective estrogen receptor modulator,is an FDA approved drug with several neuroprotective properties that should be considered for the treatment of this devastating condition.Various investigators using different animal models and injury parameters have demonstrated the beneficial effects of this drug to improve functional locomotor recovery after SCI.Results suggest that the mechanism of action of Tamoxifen administration is to modulate anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory and anti-gliotic responses.A gap of knowledge exists regarding the sex differences in response to Tamoxifen and the therapeutic window available to administer this treatment.In addition,the effects of Tamoxifen in axonal outgrowth or synapse formation needs to be investigated.This review will address some of the mechanisms activated by Tamoxifen after SCI and the results recently published by investigators in the field.展开更多
The most common age-related neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimer's disease(AD) characterized by aggregated amyloid-β(Aβ) peptides in extracellular plaques and aggregated hyperphosphorylated tau protein in intr...The most common age-related neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimer's disease(AD) characterized by aggregated amyloid-β(Aβ) peptides in extracellular plaques and aggregated hyperphosphorylated tau protein in intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles,together with loss of cholinergic neurons,synaptic alterations,and chronic inflammation within the brain.These lead to progressive impairment of cognitive function.There is evidence of innate immune activation in AD with microgliosis.Classically-activated microglia(M1 state) secrete inflammatory and neurotoxic mediators,and peripheral immune cells are recruited to inflammation sites in the brain.The few drugs approved by the US FDA for the treatment of AD improve symptoms but do not change the course of disease progression and may cause some undesirable effects.Translation of active and passive immunotherapy targeting Aβ in AD animal model trials had limited success in clinical trials.Treatment with immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory agents early in the disease process,while not preventive,is able to inhibit the inflammatory consequences of both Aβ and tau aggregation.The studies described in this review have identified several agents with immunomodulatory properties that alleviated AD pathology and cognitive impairment in animal models of AD.The majority of the animal studies reviewed had used transgenic models of early-onset AD.More effort needs to be given to creat models of late-onset AD.The effects of a combinational therapy involving two or more of the tested pharmaceutical agents,or one of these agents given in conjunction with one of the cell-based therapies,in an aged animal model of AD would warrant investigation.展开更多
创伤后的神经胶质增生导致硫酸软骨素蛋白聚糖(CSPG)的显著表达,从而抑制轴突生长和再生。甲基强地松龙(MP),一种合成的糖皮质激素,在急性脊髓损伤(SCI)的治疗中有神经保护作用和抗炎效应。但是,MP对于CSPG在活性胶质细胞中的表达的作...创伤后的神经胶质增生导致硫酸软骨素蛋白聚糖(CSPG)的显著表达,从而抑制轴突生长和再生。甲基强地松龙(MP),一种合成的糖皮质激素,在急性脊髓损伤(SCI)的治疗中有神经保护作用和抗炎效应。但是,MP对于CSPG在活性胶质细胞中的表达的作用尚不清楚。本文用a-氨基-3-羟基-5-甲基-4-异恶唑丙酸酯(AM-PA)诱导星形胶质细胞再活化,用环噻嗪模拟SCI的兴奋性中毒刺激。AMPA治疗后,星形胶质细胞再活化的标志物-胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)、CSPG神经聚糖和磷酸盐的表达都显著上调。AMPA治疗星形胶质细胞的条件培养液强烈抑制大鼠背根神经节中神经元的轴突生长,但这种作用能被MP的预处理所逆转。此外,MP下调成年SCI大鼠中GFAP和CSPG的表达,对抗RU486的糖皮质激素受体(GR)和GR si RNA能逆转MP对GFAP和神经聚糖表达的抑制作用。这些结果提示,MP能在兴奋性中毒损伤后通过GR介导的星形胶质细胞再活化下调和GSPG表达抑制来改善神经修复,促进轴突生长。展开更多
A long-standing goal of spinal cord injury research is to develop effective repair strategies,which can restore motor and sensory functions to near-normal levels.Recent advances in clinical management of spinal cord i...A long-standing goal of spinal cord injury research is to develop effective repair strategies,which can restore motor and sensory functions to near-normal levels.Recent advances in clinical management of spinal cord injury have significantly improved the prognosis,survival rate and quality of life in patients with spinal cord injury.In addition,a significant progress in basic science research has unraveled the underlying cellular and molecular events of spinal cord injury.Such efforts enabled the development of pharmacologic agents,biomaterials and stem-cell based therapy.Despite these efforts,there is still no standard care to regenerate axons or restore function of silent axons in the injured spinal cord.These challenges led to an increased focus on another therapeutic approach,namely neuromodulation.In multiple animal models of spinal cord injury,epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord has demonstrated a recovery of motor function.Emerging evidence regarding the efficacy of epidural electrical stimulation has further expanded the potential of epidural electrical stimulation for treating patients with spinal cord injury.However,most clinical studies were conducted on a very small number of patients with a wide range of spinal cord injury.Thus,subsequent studies are essential to evaluate the therapeutic potential of epidural electrical stimulation for spinal cord injury and to optimize stimulation parameters.Here,we discuss cellular and molecular events that continue to damage the injured spinal cord and impede neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.We also discuss and summarize the animal and human studies that evaluated epidural electrical stimulation in spinal cord injury.展开更多
Spinal cord injury represents a devastating central nervous system injury that could impair the mobility and sensory function of afflicted patients.The hallmarks of spinal cord injury include neuroinflammation,axonal ...Spinal cord injury represents a devastating central nervous system injury that could impair the mobility and sensory function of afflicted patients.The hallmarks of spinal cord injury include neuroinflammation,axonal degeneration,neuronal loss,and reactive gliosis.Furthermore,the formation of a glial scar at the injury site elicits an inhibitory environment for potential neuroregeneration.Besides axonal regeneration,a significant challenge in treating spinal cord injury is to replenish the neurons lost during the pathological process.However,despite decades of research efforts,current strategies including stem cell transplantation have not resulted in a successful clinical therapy.Furthermore,stem cell transplantation faces serious hurdles such as immunorejection of the transplanted cells and ethical issues.In vivo neuronal reprogramming is a recently developed technology and leading a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine.This innovative technology converts endogenous glial cells into functional neurons for injury repair in the central nervous system.The feasibility of in vivo neuronal reprogramming has been demonstrated successfully in models of different neurological disorders including spinal cord injury by numerous laboratories.Several reprogramming factors,mainly the pro-neural transcription factors,have been utilized to reprogram endogenous glial cells into functional neurons with distinct phenotypes.So far,the literature on in vivo neuronal reprogramming in the model of spinal cord injury is still small.In this review,we summarize a limited number of such reports and discuss several questions that we think are important for applying in vivo neuronal reprogramming in the research field of spinal cord injury as well as other central nervous system disorders.展开更多
The main pathological feature of the neurodegenerative diseases is represented by neuronal death that represents the final step of a cascade of adverse/hostile events.Early in the neurodegenerative process,glial cells...The main pathological feature of the neurodegenerative diseases is represented by neuronal death that represents the final step of a cascade of adverse/hostile events.Early in the neurodegenerative process,glial cells (including astrocytes,microglial cells,and oligodendrocytes) activate and trigger an insidious neuroinflammatory reaction,metabolic decay,blood brain barrier dysfunction and energy impairment,boosting neuronal death.How these mechanisms might induce selective neuronal death in specific brain areas are far from being elucidated.The last two decades of neurobiological studies have provided evidence of the main role of glial cells in most of the processes of the central nervous system,from development to synaptogenesis,neuronal homeostasis and integration into,highly specific neuro-glial networks.In this mini-review,we moved from in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegeneration to analyze the putative role of glial cells in the early mechanisms of neurodegeneration.We report changes of transcriptional,genetic,morphological,and metabolic activity in astrocytes and microglial cells in specific brain areas before neuronal degeneration,providing evidence in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders,including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.Understanding these mechanisms might increase the insight of these processes and pave the way for new specific glia-targeted therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disorders.展开更多
基金supported by the Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51136002)China Key Technologies R&D Program(No.2012BAJ02B03)
文摘Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding environment. This study focused on DEHP＇s effect on the central nervous system by determining the precise DEHP content in mice brain tissue after exposure to the chemical, to evaluate the specific exposure range. Primary neuronal-astrocyte co-culture systems were used as in vitro models for chemical hazard identification of DEHP. Oxidative stress was hypothesized as a probable mechanism involved, and therefore the total reactive oxygen species （ROS） concentration was determined as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In addition, NeuriteTracer, a neurite tracing plugin with ImageJ, was used to develop an assay for neurotoxicity to provide quantitative measurements of neurological parameters, such as neuronal number, neuron count and neurite length, all of which could indicate neurotoxic effects. The results showed that with 1 nmol/L DEHP exposure, there was a significant increase in ROS concentrations, indicating that the neuronal-astrocyte cultures were injured due to exposure to DEHP. In response, astrocyte proliferation （gliosis） was initiated, serving as a mechanism to maintain a homeostatic environment for neurons and protect neurons from toxic chemicals. There is a need to assess the cumulative effects of DEHP in animals to evaluate the possible uotake and effects on the human neuronal system from exoosure to DEHP in the indoor environment.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81873740,81860174)Natural Science Basic Research Plan of Shaanxi Province(2020JM-612)+1 种基金Applied Basic Research Program of Yunnan Province(2017FE468(-143))National Fund Cultivation Project in Xi’an Medical University(2017GJFY29).
文摘Diabetic retinopathy(DR),one of the common complications of diabetes,is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age individuals in many industrialized countries.It has been traditionally regarded as a purely microvascular disease in the retina.However,an increasing number of studies have shown that DR is a complex neurovascular disorder that affects not only vascular structure but also neural tissue of the retina.Deterioration of neural retina could precede microvascular abnormalities in the DR,leading to microvascular changes.Furthermore,disruption of interactions among neurons,vascular cells,glia and local immune cells,which collectively form the neurovascular unit,is considered to be associated with the progression of DR early on in the disease.Therefore,it makes sense to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse retinal neurodegeneration,neuroinflammation and impaired cell-cell interactions of the neurovascular unit in early stage DR.Here,we present current perspectives on the pathophysiology of DR as a neurovascular disease,especially at the early stage.Potential novel treatments for preventing or reversing neurovascular injuries in DR are discussed as well.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82101493(to JY)。
文摘Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles,fo rmed by tau protein,in the cells.While there are amyloid-β-ta rgeting therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,these therapies are costly and exhibit potential negative side effects.Mounting evidence suggests significant involvement of tau protein in Alzheimer’s disease-related neurodegeneration.As an important microtubule-associated protein,tau plays an important role in maintaining the stability of neuronal microtubules and promoting axonal growth.In fact,clinical studies have shown that abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein occurs before accumulation of amyloid-βin the brain.Various therapeutic strategies targeting tau protein have begun to emerge,and are considered possible methods to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease.Specifically,abnormalities in post-translational modifications of the tau protein,including aberrant phosphorylation,ubiquitination,small ubiquitin-like modifier(SUMO)ylation,acetylation,and truncation,contribute to its microtubule dissociation,misfolding,and subcellular missorting.This causes mitochondrial damage,synaptic impairments,gliosis,and neuroinflammation,eventually leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.This review summarizes the recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of tau protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and discusses tau-targeted treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
基金partially supported by COBRE(P20-GM103642)the MBRS-RISE Program(R25 GM061838)+1 种基金NIH-MARC(5T34GM007821-35)the RCMI program(5G12MD007600)
文摘Spinal cord injury（SCI） is a condition without a cure,affecting sensory and/or motor functions.The physical trauma to the spinal cord initiates a cascade of molecular and cellular events that generates a non-permissive environment for cell survival and axonal regeneration.Among these complex set of events are damage of the blood-brain barrier,edema formation,inflammation,oxidative stress,demyelination,reactive gliosis and apoptosis.The multiple events activated after SCI require a multi-active drug that could target most of these events and produce a permissive environment for cell survival,regeneration,vascular reorganization and synaptic formation.Tamoxifen,a selective estrogen receptor modulator,is an FDA approved drug with several neuroprotective properties that should be considered for the treatment of this devastating condition.Various investigators using different animal models and injury parameters have demonstrated the beneficial effects of this drug to improve functional locomotor recovery after SCI.Results suggest that the mechanism of action of Tamoxifen administration is to modulate anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory and anti-gliotic responses.A gap of knowledge exists regarding the sex differences in response to Tamoxifen and the therapeutic window available to administer this treatment.In addition,the effects of Tamoxifen in axonal outgrowth or synapse formation needs to be investigated.This review will address some of the mechanisms activated by Tamoxifen after SCI and the results recently published by investigators in the field.
文摘The most common age-related neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimer's disease(AD) characterized by aggregated amyloid-β(Aβ) peptides in extracellular plaques and aggregated hyperphosphorylated tau protein in intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles,together with loss of cholinergic neurons,synaptic alterations,and chronic inflammation within the brain.These lead to progressive impairment of cognitive function.There is evidence of innate immune activation in AD with microgliosis.Classically-activated microglia(M1 state) secrete inflammatory and neurotoxic mediators,and peripheral immune cells are recruited to inflammation sites in the brain.The few drugs approved by the US FDA for the treatment of AD improve symptoms but do not change the course of disease progression and may cause some undesirable effects.Translation of active and passive immunotherapy targeting Aβ in AD animal model trials had limited success in clinical trials.Treatment with immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory agents early in the disease process,while not preventive,is able to inhibit the inflammatory consequences of both Aβ and tau aggregation.The studies described in this review have identified several agents with immunomodulatory properties that alleviated AD pathology and cognitive impairment in animal models of AD.The majority of the animal studies reviewed had used transgenic models of early-onset AD.More effort needs to be given to creat models of late-onset AD.The effects of a combinational therapy involving two or more of the tested pharmaceutical agents,or one of these agents given in conjunction with one of the cell-based therapies,in an aged animal model of AD would warrant investigation.
文摘创伤后的神经胶质增生导致硫酸软骨素蛋白聚糖(CSPG)的显著表达,从而抑制轴突生长和再生。甲基强地松龙(MP),一种合成的糖皮质激素,在急性脊髓损伤(SCI)的治疗中有神经保护作用和抗炎效应。但是,MP对于CSPG在活性胶质细胞中的表达的作用尚不清楚。本文用a-氨基-3-羟基-5-甲基-4-异恶唑丙酸酯(AM-PA)诱导星形胶质细胞再活化,用环噻嗪模拟SCI的兴奋性中毒刺激。AMPA治疗后,星形胶质细胞再活化的标志物-胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)、CSPG神经聚糖和磷酸盐的表达都显著上调。AMPA治疗星形胶质细胞的条件培养液强烈抑制大鼠背根神经节中神经元的轴突生长,但这种作用能被MP的预处理所逆转。此外,MP下调成年SCI大鼠中GFAP和CSPG的表达,对抗RU486的糖皮质激素受体(GR)和GR si RNA能逆转MP对GFAP和神经聚糖表达的抑制作用。这些结果提示,MP能在兴奋性中毒损伤后通过GR介导的星形胶质细胞再活化下调和GSPG表达抑制来改善神经修复,促进轴突生长。
基金This work was supported by the Medical Scientist Training Program T32GM007250Predoctoral Training in Molecular Therapeutics Program T32GM008803(to EHC).
文摘A long-standing goal of spinal cord injury research is to develop effective repair strategies,which can restore motor and sensory functions to near-normal levels.Recent advances in clinical management of spinal cord injury have significantly improved the prognosis,survival rate and quality of life in patients with spinal cord injury.In addition,a significant progress in basic science research has unraveled the underlying cellular and molecular events of spinal cord injury.Such efforts enabled the development of pharmacologic agents,biomaterials and stem-cell based therapy.Despite these efforts,there is still no standard care to regenerate axons or restore function of silent axons in the injured spinal cord.These challenges led to an increased focus on another therapeutic approach,namely neuromodulation.In multiple animal models of spinal cord injury,epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord has demonstrated a recovery of motor function.Emerging evidence regarding the efficacy of epidural electrical stimulation has further expanded the potential of epidural electrical stimulation for treating patients with spinal cord injury.However,most clinical studies were conducted on a very small number of patients with a wide range of spinal cord injury.Thus,subsequent studies are essential to evaluate the therapeutic potential of epidural electrical stimulation for spinal cord injury and to optimize stimulation parameters.Here,we discuss cellular and molecular events that continue to damage the injured spinal cord and impede neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.We also discuss and summarize the animal and human studies that evaluated epidural electrical stimulation in spinal cord injury.
基金supported by startup funds from Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University(to HL)National Institutes of Health R01NS117918,R21NS104394,and R21NS119732(to HL)。
文摘Spinal cord injury represents a devastating central nervous system injury that could impair the mobility and sensory function of afflicted patients.The hallmarks of spinal cord injury include neuroinflammation,axonal degeneration,neuronal loss,and reactive gliosis.Furthermore,the formation of a glial scar at the injury site elicits an inhibitory environment for potential neuroregeneration.Besides axonal regeneration,a significant challenge in treating spinal cord injury is to replenish the neurons lost during the pathological process.However,despite decades of research efforts,current strategies including stem cell transplantation have not resulted in a successful clinical therapy.Furthermore,stem cell transplantation faces serious hurdles such as immunorejection of the transplanted cells and ethical issues.In vivo neuronal reprogramming is a recently developed technology and leading a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine.This innovative technology converts endogenous glial cells into functional neurons for injury repair in the central nervous system.The feasibility of in vivo neuronal reprogramming has been demonstrated successfully in models of different neurological disorders including spinal cord injury by numerous laboratories.Several reprogramming factors,mainly the pro-neural transcription factors,have been utilized to reprogram endogenous glial cells into functional neurons with distinct phenotypes.So far,the literature on in vivo neuronal reprogramming in the model of spinal cord injury is still small.In this review,we summarize a limited number of such reports and discuss several questions that we think are important for applying in vivo neuronal reprogramming in the research field of spinal cord injury as well as other central nervous system disorders.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Development Program of China(No.2013CB835101)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31271173,31070966,30070279)+1 种基金the Key Research Program of Science and Technology Commissions of Shanghai Municipality(No.11JC1401200)Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China(No.20110071110031)
基金supported by grants from Regione Campania(L.R.N.5 Bando 2003,to MP)the Italian Minister of Research and University(PRIN 2007,to MP+1 种基金 PRIN 2017,to GC and MP)UNIMIB(Progetto ID 2019-ATESP-0001 and Progetto ID 2018-CONV-0056,to AV)
文摘The main pathological feature of the neurodegenerative diseases is represented by neuronal death that represents the final step of a cascade of adverse/hostile events.Early in the neurodegenerative process,glial cells (including astrocytes,microglial cells,and oligodendrocytes) activate and trigger an insidious neuroinflammatory reaction,metabolic decay,blood brain barrier dysfunction and energy impairment,boosting neuronal death.How these mechanisms might induce selective neuronal death in specific brain areas are far from being elucidated.The last two decades of neurobiological studies have provided evidence of the main role of glial cells in most of the processes of the central nervous system,from development to synaptogenesis,neuronal homeostasis and integration into,highly specific neuro-glial networks.In this mini-review,we moved from in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegeneration to analyze the putative role of glial cells in the early mechanisms of neurodegeneration.We report changes of transcriptional,genetic,morphological,and metabolic activity in astrocytes and microglial cells in specific brain areas before neuronal degeneration,providing evidence in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders,including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.Understanding these mechanisms might increase the insight of these processes and pave the way for new specific glia-targeted therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disorders.
