Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience and Education, DISTUM, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 23;24(11):9144. doi: 10.3390/ijms24119144.
Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system that guarantee immune surveillance and exert also a modulating role on neuronal synaptic development and function. Upon injury, microglia get activated and modify their morphology acquiring an ameboid phenotype and pro- or anti-inflammatory features. The active role of microglia in blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and their interaction with different cellular components of the BBB-endothelial cells, astrocytes and pericytes-are described. Here, we report the specific crosstalk of microglia with all the BBB cell types focusing in particular on the involvement of microglia in the modulation of BBB function in neuroinflammatory conditions that occur in conjunction with an acute event, such as a stroke, or in a slow neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease. The potential of microglia to exert a dual role, either protective or detrimental, depending on disease stages and environmental conditioning factors is also discussed.
小胶质细胞是中枢神经系统的固有免疫细胞，它们保证免疫监视，并对神经元突触的发育和功能发挥调节作用。在损伤时，小胶质细胞被激活并改变其形态，获得阿米巴样表型和促炎或抗炎特征。本文描述了小胶质细胞在血脑屏障（BBB）功能中的积极作用及其与 BBB 不同细胞成分（内皮细胞、星形胶质细胞和周细胞）的相互作用。在这里，我们报告了小胶质细胞与所有 BBB 细胞类型的特定串扰，特别关注小胶质细胞在调节神经炎症条件下 BBB 功能中的作用，这些条件与急性事件（如中风）或慢性神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病）同时发生。还讨论了小胶质细胞根据疾病阶段和环境调节因素发挥双重作用（保护或有害）的潜力。
