Neural Regeneration Research (Mar 2025)

Pro-resolving lipid mediator reduces amyloid-β42–induced gene expression in human monocyte–derived microglia

  • Ying Wang,
  • Xiang Zhang,
  • Henrik Biverstål,
  • Nicolas G. Bazan,
  • Shuai Tan,
  • Nailin Li,
  • Makiko Ohshima,
  • Marianne Schultzberg,
  • Xiaofei Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-01688
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 3
pp. 873 – 886

Abstract

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Specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators including maresin 1 mediate resolution but the levels of these are reduced in Alzheimer’s disease brain, suggesting that they constitute a novel target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease to prevent/stop inflammation and combat disease pathology. Therefore, it is important to clarify whether they counteract the expression of genes and proteins induced by amyloid-β. With this objective, we analyzed the relevance of human monocyte–derived microglia for in vitro modeling of neuroinflammation and its resolution in the context of Alzheimer’s disease and investigated the pro-resolving bioactivity of maresin 1 on amyloid-β42–induced Alzheimer’s disease–like inflammation. Analysis of RNA-sequencing data and secreted proteins in supernatants from the monocyte-derived microglia showed that the monocyte-derived microglia resembled Alzheimer’s disease–like neuroinflammation in human brain microglia after incubation with amyloid-β42. Maresin 1 restored homeostasis by down-regulating inflammatory pathway related gene expression induced by amyloid-β42 in monocyte-derived microglia, protection of maresin 1 against the effects of amyloid-β42 is mediated by a re-balancing of inflammatory transcriptional networks in which modulation of gene transcription in the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway plays a major part. We pinpointed molecular targets that are associated with both neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and therapeutic targets by maresin 1. In conclusion, monocyte-derived microglia represent a relevant in vitro microglial model for studies on Alzheimer’s disease-like inflammation and drug response for individual patients. Maresin 1 ameliorates amyloid-β42–induced changes in several genes of importance in Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease.

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