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Li G, Zhao Y, Ma W, Gao Y, Zhao C. Systems-level computational modeling in ischemic stroke: from cells to patients. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1394740. [PMID: 39015225 PMCID: PMC11250596 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1394740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Ischemic stroke, a significant threat to human life and health, refers to a class of conditions where brain tissue damage is induced following decreased cerebral blood flow. The incidence of ischemic stroke has been steadily increasing globally, and its disease mechanisms are highly complex and involve a multitude of biological mechanisms at various scales from genes all the way to the human body system that can affect the stroke onset, progression, treatment, and prognosis. To complement conventional experimental research methods, computational systems biology modeling can integrate and describe the pathogenic mechanisms of ischemic stroke across multiple biological scales and help identify emergent modulatory principles that drive disease progression and recovery. In addition, by running virtual experiments and trials in computers, these models can efficiently predict and evaluate outcomes of different treatment methods and thereby assist clinical decision-making. In this review, we summarize the current research and application of systems-level computational modeling in the field of ischemic stroke from the multiscale mechanism-based, physics-based and omics-based perspectives and discuss how modeling-driven research frameworks can deliver insights for future stroke research and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geli Li
- Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanyong Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wen Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- QSPMed Technologies, Nanjing, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Planas AM. Role of microglia in stroke. Glia 2024; 72:1016-1053. [PMID: 38173414 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Microglia play key roles in the post-ischemic inflammatory response and damaged tissue removal reacting rapidly to the disturbances caused by ischemia and working to restore the lost homeostasis. However, the modified environment, encompassing ionic imbalances, disruption of crucial neuron-microglia interactions, spreading depolarization, and generation of danger signals from necrotic neurons, induce morphological and phenotypic shifts in microglia. This leads them to adopt a proinflammatory profile and heighten their phagocytic activity. From day three post-ischemia, macrophages infiltrate the necrotic core while microglia amass at the periphery. Further, inflammation prompts a metabolic shift favoring glycolysis, the pentose-phosphate shunt, and lipid synthesis. These shifts, combined with phagocytic lipid intake, drive lipid droplet biogenesis, fuel anabolism, and enable microglia proliferation. Proliferating microglia release trophic factors contributing to protection and repair. However, some microglia accumulate lipids persistently and transform into dysfunctional and potentially harmful foam cells. Studies also showed microglia that either display impaired apoptotic cell clearance, or eliminate synapses, viable neurons, or endothelial cells. Yet, it will be essential to elucidate the viability of engulfed cells, the features of the local environment, the extent of tissue damage, and the temporal sequence. Ischemia provides a rich variety of region- and injury-dependent stimuli for microglia, evolving with time and generating distinct microglia phenotypes including those exhibiting proinflammatory or dysfunctional traits and others showing pro-repair features. Accurate profiling of microglia phenotypes, alongside with a more precise understanding of the associated post-ischemic tissue conditions, is a necessary step to serve as the potential foundation for focused interventions in human stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Planas
- Cerebrovascular Research Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona (IIBB), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Cerebrovascular Diseases, Area of Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)-Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
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Cui P, Song B, Xia Z, Xu Y. Type I Interferon Signalling and Ischemic Stroke: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potentials. Transl Stroke Res 2024:10.1007/s12975-024-01236-x. [PMID: 38466560 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-024-01236-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Type I interferon (IFN-I) signalling is intricately involved in the pathogenesis of multiple infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and neurological diseases. Acute ischemic stroke provokes overactivation of IFN-I signalling within the injured brain, particularly in microglia. Following cerebral ischemia, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from injured neural cells elicit marked proinflammatory episodes within minutes. Among these, self-nucleic acids, including nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), have been recognized as a critical alarm signal to fan the flames of neuroinflammation, predominantly via inducing IFN-I signalling activation in microglia. The concept of interferon-responsive microglia (IRM), marked by upregulation of a plethora of IFN-stimulated genes, has been emergingly elucidated in ischemic mouse brains, particularly in aged ones. Among the pattern recognition receptors responsible for IFN-I induction, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) plays integral roles in potentiating microglia-driven neuroinflammation and secondary brain injury after cerebral ischemia. Here, we aim to provide an up-to-date review on the multifaceted roles of IFN-I signalling, the detailed molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to and resulting from aberrant IFN-I signalling activation after cerebral ischemia, and the therapeutic potentials. A thorough exploration of these above points will inform our quest for IFN-based therapies as effective immunomodulatory therapeutics to complement the limited repertoire of thrombolytic agents, thereby facilitating the translation from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Cui
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Clinical Systems Biology Laboratories, Translation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Bo Song
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Zongping Xia
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- Clinical Systems Biology Laboratories, Translation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
| | - Yuming Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
- Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
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