Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation: A Potential Target for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Menglong Wang,1– 3,* Wei Pan,1– 3,* Yao Xu,1– 3,* Jishou Zhang,1– 3 Jun Wan,1– 3 Hong Jiang1– 3 1Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of China; 2Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of China; 3Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong Jiang; Jun Wan, Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Microglia are tissue-resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS). In the CNS, microglia play an important role in the monitoring and intervention of synaptic and neuron-level activities. Interventions targeting microglia have been shown to improve the prognosis of various neurological diseases. Recently, studies have observed the activation of microglia in different cardiovascular diseases. In addition, different approaches that regulate the activity of microglia have been shown to modulate the incidence and progression of cardiovascular diseases. The change in autonomic nervous system activity after neuroinflammation may be a potential intermediate link between microglia and cardiovascular diseases. Here, in this review, we will discuss recent updates on the regulatory role of microglia in hypertension, myocardial infarction and ischemia/reperfusion injury. We propose that microglia serve as neuroimmune modulators and potential targets for cardiovascular diseases.Keywords: neuroimmune, autonomic nervous system, central-peripheral crosstalk, sympathetic nervous system

Keywords

• neuroimmune
• autonomic nervous system
• central-peripheral crosstalk
• sympathetic nervous system