Pathological Roles of Astrocytes in Traumatic Brain Injury - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Traumatic Brain Injury
- #Neuroinflammation
- #Astrocytes
- Astrocytes play dual neuropathological and protective roles in traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- Transcriptomic analyses identify distinct astrocyte phenotypes: neurotoxic A1 and neuroprotective A2, with intermediate states revealed by single-cell studies.
- TBI activates astrocytes via signaling pathways like TLR4/NF-κB, JAK/STAT3, and MAPK, forming a network that integrates injury signals.
- Dysregulation of astrocytic ion channels disrupts ionic homeostasis, worsening edema, while mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress increase neuronal damage.
- Astrocytes interact with microglia, macrophages, and endothelial cells to promote neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and neuronal apoptosis.
- Reactive astrocytes inhibit neural regeneration through glial scar formation and secretion of inhibitory molecules.
- Therapeutic strategies should focus on reprogramming astrocyte responses with precision, targeting specific pathways like TLR4/NF-κB to mitigate secondary injury.