We asked whether the neuroprotective effect of cholinergic microglial stimulation during an ischemic event acts via a mechanism involving the activation of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and/or the expression of its target cytoprotective gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Specifically, the protective effect of the pharmacologic alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) agonist PNU282987 was analyzed in organotypic hippocampal cultures (OHCs) subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro as well as in photothrombotic stroke in vivo. OHCs exposed to OGD followed by reoxygenation elicited cell death, measured by propidium iodide and 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide staining. Activation of α7 nAChR by PNU282987, after OGD, reduced cell death, reactive oxygen species production, and tumor necrosis factor release. This was associated with induction of HO-1 expression, an effect reversed by α-bungarotoxin and by tin-protoporphyrin IX. The protective effect of PNU282987 was lost in microglial-depleted OHCs as well as in OHCs from Nrf2-deficient-versus-wild-type mice, an effect associated with suppression of HO-1 expression in microglia. Administration of PNU282987 1 h after induction of photothrombotic stroke in vivo reduced the infarct size and improved motor skills in Hmox1(lox/lox) mice that express normal levels of HO-1, but not in LysM(Cre)Hmox1(Δ/Δ) in which HO-1 expression is inhibited in myeloid cells, including the microglia. This study suggests the participation of the microglial α7 nAChR in the brain cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Activation of the α7 nAChR/Nrf2/HO-1 axis in microglia regulates neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, affording neuroprotection under brain ischemic conditions.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an inducible enzyme known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. However, increased expression of HO-1 during aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases have been associated to neurotoxic ferric iron deposits. Being microglia responsible for the brain's innate immune response, the aim of this study was to understand the role of microglial HO-1 under inflammatory conditions in aged mice. For this purpose, aged wild type (WT) and LysMCreHmox1△△ (HMOX1M-KO) mice that lack HO-1 in microglial cells, were used. Aged WT mice showed higher basal expression levels of microglial HO-1 in the brain than adult mice. This increase was even higher when exposed to an inflammatory stimulus (LPS via i.p.) and was accompanied by alterations in different iron-related metabolism proteins, resulting in an increase of iron deposits, oxidative stress, ferroptosis and cognitive decline. Furthermore, microglia exhibited a primed phenotype and increased levels of inflammatory markers such as iNOS, p65, IL-1β, TNF-α, Caspase-1 and NLRP3. Interestingly, all these alterations were prevented in aged HMOX1M-KO and WT mice treated with the HO-1 inhibitor ZnPPIX. In order to determine the effects of microglial HO-1-dependent iron overload, aged WT mice were treated with the iron chelator deferoxamine (DFX). DFX caused major improvements in iron, inflammatory and behavioral alterations found in aged mice exposed to LPS. In conclusion, this study highlights how microglial HO-1 overexpression contributes to neurotoxic iron accumulation providing deleterious effects in aged mice exposed to an inflammatory insult.

Glutamate is the most common neurotransmitter in both the central and the peripheral nervous system. Glutamate is present in all types of neurons in sensory ganglia, and is released not only from their peripheral and central axon terminals but also from their cell bodies. Consistently, these neurons express ionotropic and metabotropic receptors, as well as other molecules involved in the synthesis, transport and release of the neurotransmitter. Primary sensory neurons are the first neurons in the sensory channels, which receive information from the periphery, and are thus key players in the sensory transduction and in the transmission of this information to higher centers in the pathway. These neurons are tightly enclosed by satellite glial cells, which also express several ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, and display increases in intracellular calcium accompanying the release of glutamate. One of the main interests in our group has been the study of the implication of the peripheral nervous system in sensory-dependent plasticity. Recently, we have provided novel evidence in favor of morphological changes in first- and second-order neurons of the trigeminal system after sustained alterations of the sensory input. Moreover, these anatomical changes are paralleled by several molecular changes, among which those related to glutamatergic neurotransmission are particularly relevant. In this review, we will describe the state of the art of the glutamatergic system in sensory ganglia and its involvement in input-dependent plasticity, a fundamental ground for advancing our knowledge of the neural mechanisms of learning and adaptation, reaction to injury, and chronic pain.