中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2026, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (9): 4457-4473.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-25-00062

• 原著:退行性病与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

A2星形胶质细胞极化介导生酮饮食保护自身免疫性脑脊髓炎的血脑和血脊髓屏障

  

  • 出版日期:2026-09-15 发布日期:2026-05-22
  • 基金资助:

A2 astrocyte polarization mediates ketogenic diet protection of blood–central nervous system barriers in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Qianye Zhang1, Mingxiao Zheng1, Hans-Christian Siebert2, Qingpeng Wang1, Ruiyan Zhang1, Ning Zhang1, *   

  1. 1Shandong Key Laboratory of Applied Technology for Protein and Peptide Drugs, Institute of Biopharmaceutical Research,Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China; 
    2RI-B-NT Research Institute of Bioinformatics and Nanotechnology, Kiel, Germany

  • Online:2026-09-15 Published:2026-05-22
  • Contact: Ning Zhang, PhD, zhangning1111@126.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82001286; Guangyue Young Scholar Innovation Team of Liaocheng University, No. LCUGYTD2023-03; the Open Project of Liaocheng University Animal Husbandry Discipline, No. 319312105-21 (all to NZ).

摘要:

作者以往研究证实,用生酮饮食治疗实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎,可产生抗神经炎症和神经保护作用,但生酮饮食治疗对多发性硬化血脑屏障及血脊髓屏障的影响尚不清楚。实验旨在探究生酮饮食是否能保护血脑屏障及血脊髓屏障完整性,并揭示其潜在机制。结果显示,生酮饮食可抑制脱髓鞘过程,抑制星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞活化,并调节实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎小鼠中枢神经系统中基质金属蛋白酶/组织金属蛋白酶抑制剂的平衡。同时还见到生酮饮食上调了实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎小鼠脊髓、小脑和皮质紧密连接蛋白和粘附连接蛋白表达。实验发现生酮饮食通过调节星形胶质细胞从A1表型向A2表型的极化,并改变了炎症环境,下调了促炎细胞因子并上调抗炎细胞因子的表达,激活了PI3K/AKT信号通路。此外,生酮饮食在中枢神经系统全局范围内下调关键趋化因子及受体CCR2表达,与白细胞/单核细胞浸润减弱相吻合。生酮饮食抑制星形胶质细胞核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白3炎症小体活化,表现为核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白3/胶质纤维酸性蛋白共定位表达减少。综上所述,抑制A1星形胶质细胞生成并保护血脑屏障/血脊髓屏障的完整性,可能是缓解实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎模型疾病症状并促进神经保护的机制。


https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2102-8611 (Ning Zhang)

关键词: A1星形胶质细胞lA2星形胶质细胞l血脑屏障l血脊髓屏障l实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎l生酮饮食l多发性硬化l神经再生l神经炎症lNLRP3炎症小体

Abstract:

Disruption of the blood–brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier is a fundamental pathological feature of multiple sclerosis progression. The ketogenic diet has a high therapeutic potential for patients with multiple sclerosis. We previously reported that treating experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice with ketogenic diet results in anti-neuroinflammation and neuroprotection. However, the impact of ketogenic diet administration on the blood–brain barrier/blood–spinal cord barrier in MS remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of ketogenic diet on the blood–brain barrier/blood–spinal cord barrier integrity and the possible underlying mechanisms. We established a 24-day continuous experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model with or without ketogenic diet and performed β-hydroxybutyrate assay kit histological analysis, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and western blot to examine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathological hallmarks, glial cell activation status, and intracellular signaling pathway alterations. Our results showed that ketogenic diet inhibited demyelination, suppressed astrocyte and microglial activation, and modulated the balance of matrix metalloproteinases/tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in the central nervous system of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice. Ketogenic diet upregulated tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1) and adherens junction proteins (VE-cadherin and β-catenin) in the spinal cord, cerebellum, and cortex of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice. Notably, we found that ketogenic diet protects the blood–brain barrier/blood–spinal cord barrier integrity by modulating astrocyte polarization from the A1 phenotype to A2 phenotype and modifying the inflammatory milieu (downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6, and upregulating anti-inflammatory cytokines such as transforming growth factor-β and interleukin-4) by inhibition of class I histone deacetylase 3/STAT3/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 and activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Furthermore, ketogenic diet downregulated key chemokines (C–X–C motif chemokine ligand 10, C–X–C motif chemokine ligand 12, C–C motif chemokine ligand 2, and C–C motif chemokine ligand 5) and receptor C–C motif chemokine receptor 2 expression throughout the central nervous system, suggesting an impaired capacity for leukocyte recruitment. Ketogenic diet suppressed astrocytic NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 inflammasome activation, as evidenced by reduced NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3/glial fibrillary acidic protein co-localization. In summary, the ketogenic diet promotes neuroprotection in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model by inhibiting A1 astrogliogenesis and protecting the integrity of the blood–brain barrier/blood-spinal cord barrier.

Key words: A1 astrocytesl A2 astrocytesl blood–brain barrierl blood–spinal cord barrierl experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisl ketogenic dietl multiple sclerosisl nerve regenerationl neuroinflammationl NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome