Search for microglia-specific peptides:advances in the discovery toolbox

Uncontrolled and chronic inflammatory states in the central nervous system(CNS)are the hallmark of neurodegenerative pathology and every injury or stroke-related insult.The key mediators of these neuroinflammatory states are glial cells known as microglia,the resident immune cell at the core of the inflammatory event,and astroglia,which encapsulate inflammatory insults in proteoglycan-rich scar tissue.This gliotic scar blocks significant portions of healthy axonal networking,preventing regeneration.Since most neuroinflammation is exclusively based on the responses of said microglia,their phenotypes are suggested to follow those of macrophages;M1 and M2 are opposites of pro-and anti-inflammation.However,microglial phenotypes have been identified to be on an inflammatory spectrum encompassing developmental,homeostatic,and reparative behaviors as opposed to their ability to affect devastating cell death cascades and scar tissue formation.