Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2021, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (9): 1702-1710.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.306064

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Astrocytes: a double-edged sword in neurodegenerative diseases

Zhi-Bin Ding1, 3, #, Li-Juan Song1, 3, #, Qing Wang1, Gajendra Kumar4, Yu-Qing Yan1, 2, *, Cun-Gen Ma1, 2, *   

  1. 1The Key Research Laboratory of Benefiting Qi for Acting Blood Circulation Method to Treat Multiple Sclerosis of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Research Center of Neurobiology, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China; 2Institute of Brain Science, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Inflammatory Neurodegenerative Diseases, Medical School of Shanxi Datong University, Datong, Shanxi Province, China; 3Department of Neurology, Affiliated Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China; 4Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China 
  • Online:2021-09-15 Published:2021-02-05
  • Contact: Cun-Gen Ma, PhD, macungen@sxtcm.edu.cn; Yu-Qing Yan, PhD, 779734216@qq.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported partially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81473577 (to CGM), a grant from the Department of Science and Technology of Shanxi Province, China, No. 201803D421073 (to YQY) and No. 201805D111009 (to CGM), a grant from Shanxi Applied Basic Research Project, No. 201901D211538 (to LJS), Datong Bureau of Science and Technology of China, No. 2019198 (to CGM), and Research Project Funds from Shanxi Scholarship Council of China, No. 2014-7 (to CGM). 

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Abstract: Astrocytes play multifaceted and vital roles in maintaining neurophysiological function of the central nervous system by regulating homeostasis, increasing synaptic plasticity, and sustaining neuroprotective effects. Astrocytes become activated as a result of inflammatory responses during the progression of pathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Reactive astrocytes (neurotoxic A1 and neuroprotective A2) are triggered during disease progression and pathogenesis due to neuroinflammation and ischemia. However, only a limited body of literature describes morphological and functional changes of astrocytes during the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The present review investigated the detrimental and beneficial roles of astrocytes in neurodegenerative diseases reported in recent studies, as these cells have promising therapeutic potential and offer new approaches for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. 

Key words: A1, A2, astrocytes, neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinflammation, neuron, neuroprotection, neurotoxicity, polarization, reactivity