Abstract
Neuroinflammation is a process related to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases; one of the hallmarks of this process is microglial reactivation and the secretion by these cells of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNFα. Numerous studies report the relationship between neuroinflammatory processes and exposure to anthropogenic air pollutants, but few refer to natural pollutants. Volcanoes are highly inhabited natural sources of environmental pollution that induce changes in the nervous system, such as reactive astrogliosis or the blood-brain barrier breakdown in exposed individuals; however, no neuroinflammatory event has been yet defined. To this purpose, we studied resting microglia, reactive microglia, and TNFα production in the brains of mice chronically exposed to an active volcanic environment on the island of São Miguel (Azores, Portugal). For the first time, we demonstrate a proliferation of microglial cells and an increase in reactive microglia, as well an increase in TNFα secretion, in the central nervous system of individuals exposed to volcanogenic pollutants.
Highlights
The role of microglial cells in neuroinflammatory events currently represents one of the main research areas in neurobiology due to the potential therapeutic application
We demonstrate a proliferation of microglial cells and an increase in reactive microglia, as well an increase in TNFα secretion, in the central nervous system of individuals exposed to volcanogenic pollutants
Microglial cells were confirmed in this study by staining with the anti-Iba1 antibody in the dentate gyrus from Furnas and Rabo de Peixe mice
Summary
The role of microglial cells in neuroinflammatory events currently represents one of the main research areas in neurobiology due to the potential therapeutic application. In the mature health brain, microglial cells are found in their resting form, exhibiting a rounded cell body, which generally remains fixed, and long and highly branched prolongations. These ramifications undergo cycles of formation and retraction that give the cells pronounced motility, enabling the monitoring of the cellular neighbourhood [5], safeguarding the homeostasis of the nervous system, and clearing the parenchyma of accumulated metabolic products and debris from deteriorated tissues. In response to damage, reactive microglia secrete a wide range of trophic factors and cytokines that can act in either beneficial or detrimental
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