Progress of astrocytes mediated inflammatory response in ischemic stroke / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Inflammatory response is an important mechanism of secondary nerve injury in ischemic stroke, which is still a research hotspot in the field of neuroscience at present. Astrocytes are characterized by extensive distribution in brain, strong hypoxia tolerance, and the ability to interact with almost all cells in neurovascular unit, thus becoming potential therapeutic targets for alleviating ischemic injury. After ischemic stroke, astrocytes quickly become reactive astrocytes, releasing a large number of inflammatory cytokines, promoting the activation and invasion of other inflammatory cells, triggering a cascade of inflammatory responses, and aggravating ischemic injury. A variety of basic studies have shown that inhibiting the astrocytes activation and astrocytosis can significantly reduce neuroinflammatory response and infarct volume, and significantly improve the neurological function recovery in a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. In this paper, the research progress of inflammatory response of astrocytes after ischemic stroke was reviewed from the aspects of astrocyte activation and polarization, release of inflammatory cytokines, interaction of inflammatory cells and corresponding targeted therapy strategies.