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Paclitaxel‐induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is often associated with neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation in the central and peripheral nervous system. Antihypertensive drug losartan, an angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) blocker, was shown to have anti‐inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in disease models, predominantly via activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Here, the effect of systemic losartan treatment (100 mg/kg/d) on mechanical allodynia and neuroinflammation was evaluated in rat PIPN model. The expression of pro‐inflammatory markers protein and mRNA levels in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) were measured with Western blot, ELISA and qPCR 10 and 21 days after PIPN induction. Losartan treatment attenuated mechanical allodynia significantly. Paclitaxel induced overexpression of C‐C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), tumour necrosis alpha (TNFα) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) in DRGs, where the presence of macrophages was demonstrated. Neuroinflammatory changes in DRGs were accompanied with glial activation and pro‐nociceptive modulators production in SCDH. Losartan significantly attenuated paclitaxel‐induced neuroinflammatory changes and induced expression of pro‐resolving markers (Arginase 1 and IL‐10) indicating a possible shift in macrophage polarization. Considering the safety profile of losartan, acting also as partial PPARγ agonist, it may be considered as a novel treatment strategy for PIPN patients.

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a neurodegenerative disorder commonly diagnosed in infants and characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia, spasticity, motor sensory neuropathy and axonal demyelination. ARSACS is caused by mutations in the SACS gene that lead to truncated or defective forms of the 520 kDa multidomain protein, sacsin. Sacsin function is exclusively studied on neuronal cells, where it regulates mitochondrial network organization and facilitates the normal polymerization of neuronal intermediate filaments (i.e., neurofilaments and vimentin). Here, we show that sacsin is also highly expressed in astrocytes, C6 rat glioma cells and N9 mouse microglia. Sacsin knockout in C6 cells (C6Sacs−/−) induced the accumulation of the glial intermediate filaments glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), nestin and vimentin in the juxtanuclear area, and a concomitant depletion of mitochondria. C6Sacs−/− cells showed impaired responses to oxidative challenges (Rotenone) and inflammatory stimuli (Interleukin-6). GFAP aggregation is also associated with other neurodegenerative conditions diagnosed in infants, such as Alexander disease or Giant Axonal Neuropathy. Our results, and the similarities between these disorders, reinforce the possible connection between ARSACS and intermediate filament-associated diseases and point to a potential role of glia in ARSACS pathology.

Aims Neuroinflammatory changes in the central nervous system are widely involved in the initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury. The present study investigated how losartan treatment may affect the development of neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation. Main methods The effect of losartan treatment on the development of peripheral neuropathy was studied in L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model in rats with systemic (100 mg/kg) or intrathecal (10 μl/ 20 μM solution) application of losartan. Electronic von Frey filament and plantar test were used to determine pain thresholds to mechanical and thermal stimulations. At the 7th post-operative day, CD68-positive cells in DRG and dorsal roots were quantified by immunohistochemistry and western blot analyses were used to compare the expression levels of neuroinflammatory markers in lumbar spinal cord (SC). Key findings Our data confirmed the presence of SNL-evoked heat hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. Losartan application blocked the SNL-induced hypersensitivity to thermal stimuli but failed to prevent mechanical allodynia. No significant difference between systemic and i.t. administration of losartan was observed. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of infiltrated macrophages in the ipsilateral DRG that was significantly attenuated with the losartan treatment. Western blot SC tissue analysis revealed that systemic treatment with losartan prevented SNL-induced upregulation of CCR2, TNFα, TNFR1, and OX42 while its effect on CCL2 and AT1R expression was not significant. Significance Our results show that losartan treatment attenuates neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain after SNL. These effects of losartan represent an interesting direction for the development of novel treatments of peripheral neuropathy.

The Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) family of transcription factors is involved in inflammation, immunity, development, cancer, and response to injury, among other biological phenomena. Canonical STAT signaling is often represented as a 3-step pathway involving the sequential activation of a membrane receptor, an intermediate kinase, and a STAT transcription factor. The rate-limiting phosphorylation at a highly conserved C-terminal tyrosine residue determines the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of STATs. This apparent simplicity is actually misleading and can hardly explain the pleiotropic nature of STATs, the existence of various noncanonical STAT pathways, or the key role of the N-terminal domain in STAT functions. More than 80 post-translational modifications (PTMs) have been identified for STAT3, but their functions remain barely understood. Here, we provide a brief but comprehensive overview of these underexplored PTMs and their role on STAT3 canonical and noncanonical functions. A less tyrosine-centric point of view may be required to advance our understanding of STAT signaling.

After peripheral nerve injury microglial reactivity change in the spinal cord is associated with an early activation of Janus kinase (JAK)/STAT3 transduction pathway whose blockade attenuates local inflammation and pain hypersensitivity. However, the consequences of microglial JAK/STAT3-mediated signaling on neighboring cells are unknown. Using an in vitro paradigm we assessed the impact of microglial JAK/STAT3 activity on functional characteristics of astrocytes and spinal cord neurons. Purified rat primary microglia was stimulated with JAK/STAT3 classical activator interleukin-6 in the presence or absence of a selective STAT3 inhibitor and rat primary astrocytes or spinal cord neurons were exposed to microglia conditioned media (CM). JAK/STAT3 activity-generated microglial CM modulated both astrocyte and neuron characteristics. Beyond inducing mRNA expression changes in various targets of interest in astrocytes and neurons, microglia CM activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase, STAT3 and NF-κB intracellular pathways in astrocytes and promoted their proliferation. Without modifying neuronal excitability or survival, CM affected the nerve processes morphology and distribution of the post-synaptic density protein 95, a marker of glutamatergic synaptic contacts. These findings show that JAK/STAT3 activity in microglia impacts the functional characteristics of astrocytes and neurons. This suggests its participation in spinal cord tissue plasticity and remodeling occurring after peripheral nerve injury. We show that the activity of JAK/STAT3 pathway in microglial cells confers them a specific signaling modality toward neighboring cells, promoting astrocyte proliferation and changes in neuronal morphology. These in vitro data suggest that the early JAK/STAT3 activation in spinal cord microglia, associated with peripheral nerve injury, participates in functional alteration of various cell populations and in spinal tissue remodeling.