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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1508023

Pathogenesis and therapeutic applications of microglia receptors in Alzheimer's disease

Provisionally accepted
Jiao Fu Jiao Fu 1Ruoxuan Wang Ruoxuan Wang 1Jihui He Jihui He 1Xiaojing Liu Xiaojing Liu 1Xinxin Wang Xinxin Wang 1Juming Yao Juming Yao 1Ye Liu Ye Liu 2Chongzhao Ran Chongzhao Ran 3Qingsong Ye Qingsong Ye 2*Yan He Yan He 1*
  • 1 Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Center of Regenerative Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
  • 3 Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, continuously monitor the brain's microenvironment through their array of specific receptors. Once brain function is altered, microglia are recruited to specific sites to perform their immune functions, including phagocytosis of misfolded proteins, cellular debris, and apoptotic cells to maintain homeostasis. When toxic substances are overproduced, microglia are over-activated to produce large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which induce chronic inflammatory responses and lead to neurotoxicity. Additionally, microglia can also monitor and protect neuronal function through microglia-neuron crosstalk. Microglia receptors are important mediators for microglia to receive external stimuli, regulate the functional state of microglia, and transmit signals between cells. In this paper, we first review the role of microgliaexpressed receptors in the pathogenesis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease; moreover, we emphasize the complexity of targeting microglia for therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disorders to inform the discovery of new biomarkers and the development of innovative therapeutics

    Keywords: Microglia Receptor, Microglia, Alzheimer's disease, Neuroinflammation, heterogeneity

    Received: 08 Oct 2024; Accepted: 27 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Fu, Wang, He, Liu, Wang, Yao, Liu, Ran, Ye and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Qingsong Ye, Center of Regenerative Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
    Yan He, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.