The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Activated microglia are a feature of the host response to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD) and are thought to contribute to disease progression. Recent evidence suggests that extracellular α-synuclein (eSNCA) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD and tha...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Couch, Y, Alvarez-Erviti, L, Sibson, N, Wood, M, Anthony, D
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2011
_version_ 1797098703773761536
author Couch, Y
Alvarez-Erviti, L
Sibson, N
Wood, M
Anthony, D
author_facet Couch, Y
Alvarez-Erviti, L
Sibson, N
Wood, M
Anthony, D
author_sort Couch, Y
collection OXFORD
description BACKGROUND: Activated microglia are a feature of the host response to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD) and are thought to contribute to disease progression. Recent evidence suggests that extracellular α-synuclein (eSNCA) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD and that this may be mediated by a microglial response. METHODS: We wished to discover whether the host response to eSNCA would be sufficient to induce significant cytokine production. In vitro cultured BV-2 microglia were used to determine the basic inflammatory response to eSNCA. In vivo, 8-week old Biozzi mice were subjected to a single intranigral injection of either 3 μg SNCA, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or serum protein (BSA) and allowed to recover for 24 hours. A second cohort of animals were peripherally challenged with LPS (0.5 mg/kg) 6 hours prior to tissue collection. Inflammation was studied by quantitative real-time PCR for a number of pro-inflammatory genes and immunohistochemistry for microglial activation, endothelial activation and cell death. RESULTS: In vitro data showed a robust microglial response to SNCA, including a positive NFĸB response and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Direct injection of SNCA into the substantia nigra resulted in the upregulation of mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines, the expression of endothelial markers of inflammation and microglial activation. However, these results were significantly different to those obtained after direct injection of LPS. By contrast, when the animals were injected intracerebrally with SNCA and subsequently challenged with systemic LPS, the level of production of IL-1β in the substantia nigra became comparable to that induced by the direct injection of LPS into the brain. The injection of albumin into the nigra with a peripheral LPS challenge did not provoke the production of a significant inflammatory response. Direct injection of LPS into the substantia nigra also induces cell death in a more robust manner than direct injection of either SNCA or BSA. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the presence of eSNCA protein 'primes' microglia, making them susceptible to environmental proinflammatory challenge. For this reason, we hypothesise that where 'inflammation' contributes to the disease progression in PD, it does so in a punctuate manner (on-off) as a result of systemic events.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T05:13:24Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:dc544d5b-413a-429b-8c4d-714338b8377b
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T05:13:24Z
publishDate 2011
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:dc544d5b-413a-429b-8c4d-714338b8377b2022-03-27T09:17:03ZThe acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:dc544d5b-413a-429b-8c4d-714338b8377bEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2011Couch, YAlvarez-Erviti, LSibson, NWood, MAnthony, D BACKGROUND: Activated microglia are a feature of the host response to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD) and are thought to contribute to disease progression. Recent evidence suggests that extracellular α-synuclein (eSNCA) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD and that this may be mediated by a microglial response. METHODS: We wished to discover whether the host response to eSNCA would be sufficient to induce significant cytokine production. In vitro cultured BV-2 microglia were used to determine the basic inflammatory response to eSNCA. In vivo, 8-week old Biozzi mice were subjected to a single intranigral injection of either 3 μg SNCA, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or serum protein (BSA) and allowed to recover for 24 hours. A second cohort of animals were peripherally challenged with LPS (0.5 mg/kg) 6 hours prior to tissue collection. Inflammation was studied by quantitative real-time PCR for a number of pro-inflammatory genes and immunohistochemistry for microglial activation, endothelial activation and cell death. RESULTS: In vitro data showed a robust microglial response to SNCA, including a positive NFĸB response and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Direct injection of SNCA into the substantia nigra resulted in the upregulation of mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines, the expression of endothelial markers of inflammation and microglial activation. However, these results were significantly different to those obtained after direct injection of LPS. By contrast, when the animals were injected intracerebrally with SNCA and subsequently challenged with systemic LPS, the level of production of IL-1β in the substantia nigra became comparable to that induced by the direct injection of LPS into the brain. The injection of albumin into the nigra with a peripheral LPS challenge did not provoke the production of a significant inflammatory response. Direct injection of LPS into the substantia nigra also induces cell death in a more robust manner than direct injection of either SNCA or BSA. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the presence of eSNCA protein 'primes' microglia, making them susceptible to environmental proinflammatory challenge. For this reason, we hypothesise that where 'inflammation' contributes to the disease progression in PD, it does so in a punctuate manner (on-off) as a result of systemic events.
spellingShingle Couch, Y
Alvarez-Erviti, L
Sibson, N
Wood, M
Anthony, D
The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title_full The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title_fullStr The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title_full_unstemmed The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title_short The acute inflammatory response to intranigral α-synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation.
title_sort acute inflammatory response to intranigral α synuclein differs significantly from intranigral lipopolysaccharide and is exacerbated by peripheral inflammation
work_keys_str_mv AT couchy theacuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT alvarezervitil theacuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT sibsonn theacuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT woodm theacuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT anthonyd theacuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT couchy acuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT alvarezervitil acuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT sibsonn acuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT woodm acuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation
AT anthonyd acuteinflammatoryresponsetointranigralasynucleindifferssignificantlyfromintranigrallipopolysaccharideandisexacerbatedbyperipheralinflammation