title: Selective modulation of microglia polarization to M2 phenotype for stroke treatment.
abstract: Resident microglia are the major immune cells in the brain, acting as the first defense of the central nervous system. Following cerebral ischemia, microglia respond to this injury at first and transform from surveying microglia to active state. The activated microglia play a dual role in the ischemic injury, due to distinct microglia phenotypes, including deleterious M1 and neuroprotective M2. However, microglia show transient M2 phenotype followed by a shift to M1. The high ratio of M1 to M2 is significantly related to ischemic injury. Many signal pathways participate in the alternation of microglial phenotype, presenting potential therapeutic targets for selectively modulating M2 polarization of microglia. In this review, we discuss how the M2 phenotype mediates neuroprotective effects and summarize the alternation of signaling cascades that control microglial phenotype after ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Cong-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Zhen
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China. Electronic address: chennh@imm.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Nai-Hong
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology*; D000066829:Neuroprotection / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Ischemia; M1 phenotype; M2 phenotype; Microglia; Stroke