Title:Metabolic Reprogramming in Gliocyte Post-cerebral Ischemia/
Reperfusion: From Pathophysiology to Therapeutic Potential
Volume: 22
Issue: 10
Author(s): Lipeng Gong, Junjie Liang, Letian Xie, Zhanwei Zhang*, Zhigang Mei*Wenli Zhang*
Affiliation:
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated
Hospital of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410007, China
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and
Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, College of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine,
Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410208, China
- Third-Grade
Pharmacological Laboratory on Chinese Medicine Approved by State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei 443002, China
- School
of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410208, China
Keywords:
Ischemic stroke, cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, metabolic reprogramming, gliocyte, pathophysiology, oxidative stress.
Abstract: Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. However, the clinical
efficacy of recanalization therapy as a preferred option is significantly hindered by reperfusion injury.
The transformation between different phenotypes of gliocytes is closely associated with cerebral ischemia/
reperfusion injury (CI/RI). Moreover, gliocyte polarization induces metabolic reprogramming,
which refers to the shift in gliocyte phenotype and the overall transformation of the metabolic network
to compensate for energy demand and building block requirements during CI/RI caused by hypoxia,
energy deficiency, and oxidative stress. Within microglia, the pro-inflammatory phenotype exhibits
upregulated glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid synthesis, and glutamine synthesis,
whereas the anti-inflammatory phenotype demonstrates enhanced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation
and fatty acid oxidation. Reactive astrocytes display increased glycolysis but impaired glycogenolysis
and reduced glutamate uptake after CI/RI. There is mounting evidence suggesting that
manipulation of energy metabolism homeostasis can induce microglial cells and astrocytes to switch
from neurotoxic to neuroprotective phenotypes. A comprehensive understanding of underlying mechanisms
and manipulation strategies targeting metabolic pathways could potentially enable gliocytes to
be reprogrammed toward beneficial functions while opening new therapeutic avenues for CI/RI treatment.
This review provides an overview of current insights into metabolic reprogramming mechanisms
in microglia and astrocytes within the pathophysiological context of CI/RI, along with potential
pharmacological targets. Herein, we emphasize the potential of metabolic reprogramming of gliocytes
as a therapeutic target for CI/RI and aim to offer a novel perspective in the treatment of CI/RI.