Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2021, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (7): 1109-1115.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2178

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Role of microglia-mediated neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases

Xie Wenjia1, 2, Xia Tianjiao1, 2, Zhou Qingyun1, Liu Yujia1, Gu Xiaoping1   

  1. 1Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, China; 2Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu Province, China
  • Received:2020-03-20 Revised:2020-03-21 Accepted:2020-04-11 Online:2021-03-08 Published:2020-12-09
  • Contact: Gu Xiaoping, MD, Chief physician, Doctoral supervisor, Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, China
  • About author:Xie Wenjia, Master candidate, Department of Anesthesiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu Province, China
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81701371, No. 81730033; the Key Talent Project for Strengthening Health during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period, No. ZDRCA2016069

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Microglia are resident immune cells of the central nervous system that normally perform sensing, housekeeping, and defense functions. In the context of neurodegenerative diseases, the dysfunction of microglia leads to or aggravates neuronal injury.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of microglia-mediated neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases.

METHODS: The first author searched for relevant articles published from January 2001 to January 2020 in PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang database, and VIP database with the key words of “microglia; neurodegenerative diseases; neuronal injury”.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In neurodegenerative diseases, microglia perform excessive sensing due to toxic substances during normal function, leading to increasing activation of microglia, accompanied with hyperfunction of housekeeping and intense neuroinflammation causing neuronal impairment. The dysregulation can also be manifested as dysfunction of sensing and housekeeping due to specific gene mutations, which bring about accumulation of toxic substances, aggravating the dysregulation of defense function and inducing apoptosis or necrosis of neurons as a result. Further exploration on the mechanism of microglia-mediated neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases may provide several targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

Key words: stem cells, microglia, neurodegenerative diseases, neuronal injury, neuroinflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, central nervous system, neuronal cell death, review

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