Fluoxetine Decreases Phagocytic Function via REV-ERBα in Microglia.

Although fluoxetine (FLX) is a commonly used drug in psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the mechanism by which FLX exerts its therapeutic effect is not completely understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the possible mechanism by which FLX focuses on microglial phagocytosis. FLX reduced phagocytic function in BV2 cells and increased REV-ERBα without affecting other microglia-related genes, such as inflammation and phagocytosis. Although FLX did not change BMAL1 protein levels, it restricted the nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) of BMAL1, leading to its cytosolic accumulation. REV-ERBα antagonist SR8278 rescued the decreased phagocytic activity and restricted NCT of BMAL1. We also found that REV-ERBα mediates the effect of FLX via the inhibition of phospho-ERK (pERK). The ERK inhibitor FR180204 was sufficient to reduce phagocytic function in BV2 cells and restrict the NCT of BMAL1. These results were recapitulated in the primary microglia. In conclusion, we propose that FLX decreases phagocytic function and restricts BMAL1 NCT via REV-ERBα. In addition, ERK inhibition mimics the effects of FLX on microglia.

Microglia involvement in sex-dependent behaviors and schizophrenia occurrence in offspring with maternal dexamethasone exposure.

Fetal microglia that are particularly sensitive cells to the changes in utero environment might be involved in the sex-biased onset and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. To address this issue, we administered a 50 µg/kg dexamethasone (DEX) to dams subcutaneously from gestational days 16 to 18 and a series of behavioral assessments were performed in the offspring. Prenatal exposure to dexamethasone (PN-DEX) induced schizophrenia (SCZ)-relevant behaviors in male mice and depressive-like behavior in female mice. SCZ-relevant behavioral patterns occurred in 10-week-old (10 W) male mice but not in 4-week-old (4 W) male mice. Microglia in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the striatum (STR) of 10 W males prenatally treated with dexamethasone (10 W PN-DEX-M) showed hyper-ramified morphology and dramatically reduced spine density in mPFC. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that microglia in the mPFC of the 10 W PN-DEX-M group interacted with pre-synaptic Bassoon and post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95) puncta. PN-DEX-M also showed significantly changed dopamine system proteins. However, a testosterone surge during adolescence was not a trigger on SCZ-relevant behavior occurrence in 10 W PN-DEX-M. Furthermore, females prenatally treated with dexamethasone (PN-DEX-F) displayed depressive-like behavior, in addition to HPA-axis activation and inflammatory microglial phenotypes in their hippocampus (HPC). We propose that altered microglial function, such as increased synaptic pruning, may be involved in the occurrence of SCZ-relevant behavior in PN-DEX-M and sex-biased abnormal behavior in the PN-DEX model.

Persistent Acidic Environment Induces Impaired Phagocytosis via ERK in Microglia.

Acidic environment evoked by stroke, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer's disease may change the functional properties of microglia. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms of functional changes in microglia remain unclear. In this study, we found that acidic stimuli (pH 6.8) increased rapidly interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 mRNA levels and subsequently reduced IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, Cx3cr1, and P2ry12 as the exposure time to acidic environment increase in BV2 cells. In addition, persistent acidic environment (pH 6.8 for 6 h) induced impaired phagocytic function in BV2 cells. Short-term acidic exposure (pH 6.8 for 30 min) increased cyclic AMP (cAMP) and phospho-protein kinase A (PKA) but inhibited phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK). However, under persistent acidic environment (pH 6.8 for 6 h), cyclic AMP and PKA were normalized and p-ERK was increased with TDAG8 (T cell death associated gene 8; GPR65) reduction. FR 180,204, an ERK inhibitor, rescued the persistent acidic environment-induced functional changes in BV2 cells and its effect was recapitulated in primary neonatal microglia. Thus, we propose that ERK targeting may be an alternative strategy to restore microglial dysfunction in the central nervous system (CNS) acidic environment in various neurological disorders.

Possible role of arginase 1 positive microglia on depressive/anxiety-like behaviors in atopic dermatitis mouse model.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and mood disorder comorbidities are typical, but the exact mechanism underlying their interplay has not been clarified. In this study, we aimed to identify the possible mechanisms of anxiety/depressive-like behaviors observed in AD, focusing on microglia. AD was induced by Dermatophagoides farinae body extract (Dfb) in NC/Nga mice and anxiety/depressive-like behaviors were analyzed by behavioral assessments such as open field test (OFT), tail suspension test (TST), sucrose preference test (SPT), and social interaction. As clinical symptoms of AD induced, anxiety/depressive-like behaviors were increased in the OFT and TST and serum glucocorticoid was elevated. AD mice showed an increased mRNA expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) in lymph nodes but decreased arginase 1 (Arg1) mRNA expression without a change of IL-4 in the hippocampus. In addition, AD mice showed microglia with a shortened branch of de-ramified form and astrocytes with longer processes and decreased branching in the hippocampus, especially in the dentate gyrus (DG). The immunofluorescence study of the DG confirmed that Arg1 reduction was associated with microglia, but not astrocytes. Furthermore, glucocorticoid receptor reduction, increased 5-HT1AR, reduced phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression were identified in the hippocampus of AD mice. Notably, an immunofluorescence study confirmed that pCREB was decreased in the DG of AD mice. Collectively, our data suggest that the reduced Arg1 positive microglia might contribute to anxiety/depressive-like behaviors via pCREB/BDNF reduction in AD.

Chronically infused angiotensin II induces depressive-like behavior via microglia activation.

Brain inflammation is one of hypotheses explaining complex pathomechanisms of depression. Angiotensin II (ANGII), which is associated with hypertension, also induces brain inflammation. However, there is no animal study showing the direct relationship between ANGII and depression. To address this issue, ANGII-containing osmotic pumps were implanted into adult male C57BL/6 mice subcutaneously for subacute (7 days) and chronic (at least 21 days) periods and behavioral and molecular analyses were conducted. Chronic infusion of ANGII into mice induced depressive-like behaviors, including the tail suspension test and forced swimming test, which were reversed by imipramine. Chronic infusion of ANGII also induced microglial activation in the hippocampus with increase of Il-1ß mRNA and decrease of Arg1 mRNA. In addition, chronic ANGII infusion activated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) and resulted in decreased hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor level. However, subacute ANGII infusion did not induce significant molecular and behavioral changes in mice compared to that of control. The molecular and behavioral changes by chronic ANGII infusion were reversed by co-treatment of minocycline or telmisartan. In addition, ANGII treatment also induced the pro-inflammatory changes in BV-2 microglial cells. Our results indicate that ANGII can induce depressive-like behaviors via microglial activation in the hippocampus and HPA axis hyperactivation in mice. These might suggest possible mechanism on depressive symptom in chronic hypertensive state.

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate schizophrenia-relevant behaviors in amphetamine-sensitized mice by inhibiting neuroinflammation.

At present, therapeutic options available for treating schizophrenia are limited to monoamine-based antipsychotic drugs. Recent genome wide association study (GWAS) indicated a close relationship between immune system and schizophrenia. To leverage the GWAS finding for therapeutic strategy, we conducted a mechanism and effect study on application of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC) with potent immune-modulatory effect in an animal model useful for the study of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia-relevant behaviors were induced by amphetamine administration (amphetamine-sensitized mice) and the effect of a single intravenous administration of hUC-MSC was examined in the amphetamine-sensitized mice. Schizophrenia-relevant behaviors were assessed by open field test, light/dark box, social interaction test, latent inhibition, prepulse inhibition, tail suspension test, and forced swimming test. Our results indicated that neuroinflammation along with peripheral TNF-α elevation is associated with schizophrenia-relevant behaviors in amphetamine-sensitized mice. In addition, hUC-MSC inhibited schizophrenia-relevant and the neuroinflammatory changes. The main mechanism of hUC-MSC was associated with the induction of Treg and production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 in periphery. In vitro study revealed that amphetamine did not directly induce a neuroinflammatory reaction, while recombinant TNF-α (rTNF-α) increased mRNA expression of TNF-α, KMO, and IL-1ß in several microglial cell lines. Moreover, recombinant IL-10 (rIL-10) and MSC conditioned media inhibited the inflammatory response in rTNF-α-treated microglial cells. Assuming that hUC-MSCs rarely reach the CNS and do not remain in the body for an extended time, these findings suggest that a single hUC-MSC infusion have long-term beneficial effect via regulatory T cell induction and secretion of IL-10 in amphetamine-sensitized mice.