Cited by 188Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsParkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsNeurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments

Microglial Activation Contributes to Cognitive Impairments in Rotenone-Induced Mouse Parkinson’s Disease Model

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Zhang, Dongdong, Li, Sheng, Hou, Liyan, Jing, Lu, Ruan, Zhengzheng, Peng, Bingjie, Zhang, Xiaomeng, Hong, Jau-Shyong +2 more·2021·Journal of Neuroinflammation

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cognitive decline occurs frequently in Parkinson's disease (PD), which greatly decreases the quality of life of patients. However, the mechanisms remain to be investigated. Neuroinflammation mediated by overactivated microglia is a common pathological feature in multiple neurological disorders, including PD. This study is designed to explore the role of microglia in cognitive deficits by using a rotenone-induced mouse PD model. METHODS: To evaluate the role of microglia in rotenone-induced cognitive deficits, PLX3397, an inhibitor of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor, and minocycline, a widely used antibiotic, were used to deplete or inactivate microglia, respectively. Cognitive performance of mice among groups was detected by Morris water maze, objective recognition, and passive avoidance tests. Neurodegeneration, synaptic loss, α-synuclein phosphorylation, glial activation, and apoptosis were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot or immunofluorescence staining. The gene expression of inflammatory factors and lipid peroxidation were further explored by using RT-PCR and ELISA kits, respectively. RESULTS: Rotenone dose-dependently induced cognitive deficits in mice by showing decreased performance of rotenone-treated mice in the novel objective recognition, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze compared with that of vehicle controls. Rotenone-induced cognitive decline was associated with neurodegeneration, synaptic loss, and Ser129-phosphorylation of α-synuclein and microglial activation in the hippocampal and cortical regions of mice. A time course experiment revealed that rotenone-induced microglial activation preceded neurodegeneration. Interestingly, microglial depletion by PLX3397 or inactivation by minocycline significantly reduced neuronal damage and α-synuclein pathology as well as improved cognitive performance in rotenone-injected mice. Mechanistically, PLX3397 and minocycline attenuated rotenone-induced astroglial activation and production of cytotoxic factors in mice. Reduced lipid peroxidation was also observed in mice treated with combined PLX3397 or minocycline and rotenonee compared with rotenone alone group. Finally, microglial depletion or inactivation was found to mitigate rotenone-induced neuronal apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggested that microglial activation contributes to cognitive impairments in a rotenone-induced mouse PD model via neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, providing novel insight into the immunopathogensis of cognitive deficits in PD.

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Authors
Zhang, D., Li, S., Hou, L., Jing, L., Ruan, Z., Peng, B., Zhang, X., Hong, J.-S., Zhao, J., & Wang, Q.
Affiliations
  • Dalian Medical University (CN)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
  • Zhao, Jie
  • Wang, Qingshan
Venue
Journal of Neuroinflammation
Published
2021-01-05
Volume
18
Issue
1
Pages
4-4
ISSN
1742-2094 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3111358404
Cited by
187
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 13
FWCI
12.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroinflammation (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81973087)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2019-MS-077)
  • LiaoNing Revitalization Talents Program (XLYC1907026)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
Keywords
Parkinson's disease, cognitive impairment, microglial activation, neuroinflammation, rotenone, PLX3397, minocycline, microglial depletion, alpha-synuclein phosphorylation, neurodegeneration, synaptic loss, astroglial activation, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, neuronal apoptosis, hippocampus, immunopathogenesis
MeSH terms
Aminopyridines, Animals, Insecticides, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Minocycline, Pyrroles, Rotenone, Microglia, Parkinsonian Disorders, Mice, Cognitive Dysfunction

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