Perinatal Hypoxia-Ischemia Reduces α7 Nicotinic Receptor Expression and Selective α7 Nicotinic Receptor Stimulation Suppresses Inflammation and Promotes Microglial Mox Phenotype

Inflammation plays a central role in neonatal brain injury. During brain inflammation the resident macrophages of the brain, the microglia cells, are rapidly activated. In the periphery, α 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors ( α 7R) present on macrophages can regulate inflammation by suppressing cytokine release. In the current study we investigated α 7R expression in neonatal mice after hypoxia-ischemia (HI). We further examined possible anti-inflammatory role of α 7R stimulation in vitro and microglia polarization after α 7R agonist treatment. Real-time PCR analysis showed a 33% reduction in α 7R expression 72 h after HI. Stimulation of primary microglial cells with LPS in combination with increasing doses of the selective α 7R agonist AR-R 17779 significantly attenuated TNF α release and increased α 7R transcript in microglial cells. Gene expression of M1 markers CD86 and iNOS, as well as M2 marker CD206 was not influenced by LPS and/or α 7R agonist treatment. Further, Mox markers heme oxygenase (Hmox1) and sulforedoxin-1 (Srx1) were significantly increased, suggesting a polarization towards the Mox phenotype after α 7R stimulation. Thus, our data suggest a role for the α 7R also in the neonatal brain and support the anti-inflammatory role of α 7R in microglia, suggesting that α 7R stimulation could enhance the polarization towards a reparative Mox phenotype.