Geng Yao, Wang Rui-Yu, Dong Man-Yu, Qian Yi-Lun, Wang Xi-Hui, Xia Wen-Wen, Shen Ying, Zhang Ke-Zhong
The First Affiliated Hospital With Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China.
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 650500, China.
Inflammation. 2025 Apr 26. doi: 10.1007/s10753-025-02306-4.
There is increasing interest in developing therapeutic interventions aimed at preventing neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the specific characteristics of inflammation across different cell types and the underlying mechanisms of PD-related inflammation remain inadequately understood. In this study, we conducted an analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and microarray data derived from human PD midbrain tissue, specifically focusing on the substantia nigra compacta (SNc). These datasets were sourced from the (GEO) database. We utilized GSVA, GSEA, as well as KEGG and GO analyses to explore transcriptional variations associated with PD. Furthermore, trajectory and SCENIC analyses were conducted to uncover the mechanisms underlying PD progression. Subsequent animal and cellular experiments validated the role of the regulon in regulating neuroinflammation. Results: Our analysis revealed that microglia displayed the highest levels of inflammatory activity, characterized by an increased abundance of microglia in the proinflammatory activated state within the midbrain and SNc of PD patients. This finding was further validated in a PD mouse model induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). The transcription factor STAT3 demonstrated significant upregulation and was implicated in promoting the inflammatory response and activating microglia within the PD context. In the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP +)-induced BV2 cell model, inhibition of STAT3 led to reduced levels of inflammation, hindered STAT3 phosphorylation, and decreased the production of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, the downregulation of P-STAT3 alleviated the harmful effects on SH-SY5Y cells that were cocultured in the conditioned medium. Conclusions: Our study underscored the pivotal role of the transcription factor STAT3 as a central regulator of proinflammatory activation in microglia within PD. These findings offer fresh insights into PD pathogenesis and suggest potential avenues for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
人们对开发旨在预防帕金森病(PD)神经炎症的治疗干预措施的兴趣日益浓厚。然而,不同细胞类型炎症的具体特征以及PD相关炎症的潜在机制仍未得到充分了解。在本研究中,我们对源自人类PD中脑组织的单细胞RNA测序(scRNA-seq)和微阵列数据进行了分析,特别关注黑质致密部(SNc)。这些数据集来自基因表达综合数据库(GEO)。我们利用基因集变异分析(GSVA)、基因集富集分析(GSEA)以及京都基因与基因组百科全书(KEGG)和基因本体(GO)分析来探索与PD相关的转录变化。此外,还进行了轨迹分析和单细胞调控网络推断及聚类(SCENIC)分析,以揭示PD进展的潜在机制。随后的动物和细胞实验验证了调控子在调节神经炎症中的作用。结果:我们的分析表明,小胶质细胞表现出最高水平的炎症活性,其特征是在PD患者的中脑和SNc中,处于促炎激活状态的小胶质细胞丰度增加。这一发现在由1-甲基-4-苯基-1,2,3,6-四氢吡啶(MPTP)诱导的PD小鼠模型中得到了进一步验证。转录因子信号转导和转录激活因子3(STAT3)表现出显著上调,并参与促进PD环境中的炎症反应和激活小胶质细胞。在1-甲基-4-苯基吡啶(MPP +)诱导的BV2细胞模型中,抑制STAT3导致炎症水平降低,阻碍STAT3磷酸化,并减少炎症因子的产生。此外,磷酸化STAT3(P-STAT3)的下调减轻了在条件培养基中共培养的SH-SY5Y细胞所受到的有害影响。结论:我们的研究强调了转录因子STAT3作为PD中小胶质细胞促炎激活的核心调节因子的关键作用。这些发现为PD发病机制提供了新的见解,并为开发新的治疗策略指明了潜在途径。