Microglia-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inflammation play an imperative role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been established that angiotensin II type-2 receptor (AT2R) activation is neuroprotective in central nervous system diseases like stroke and AD. However, the involvement of AT2R in NADPH oxidase (NOX)-mediated microglia activation is still elusive. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of AT2R in angiotensin II (Ang II) or Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced microglia activation in BV2 cells, primary microglia, p47 knockout (p47KO) microglia, and in vivo. Treatment of microglia with Ang II or PMA induced a significant ROS generation and promoted pro-inflammatory microglia in a NOX-dependent manner. In contrast, AT2R activation by CGP42112A (CGP) inhibited NOX activation, ROS production, and pro-inflammatory microglia activation, while promoting the immunoregulatory microglia. This inhibitory effect of AT2R on NOX and pro-inflammatory activation was attenuated by AT2R antagonist, PD123319. Essentially, NOX inhibition (by DPI) or scavenging cellular ROS (by NAC) or p47KO microglia were immune to Ang II- or PMA-induced pro-inflammatory microglia activation. Mechanistically, AT2R, via activation of protein phosphatase-2A (PP2A), prevented the Ang II- or PMA-induced protein kinase C (PKC) activation and phosphorylation of p47, an effect that was reversed by the addition of PP2A inhibitor, Okadaic acid (OA). Importantly, PKC inhibitor, Rottlerin, inhibited the Ang II- or PMA-induced p47 phosphorylation and ROS generation to the similar extent as AT2R activation. In addition, AT2R activation or p47KO prevented ROS production, pro-inflammatory microglial activation, and sickness behavior in mice model of neuroinflammation. Therefore, the present findings suggested that AT2R, via PP2A-mediated inhibition of PKC, prevents the NOX activation, ROS generation, and subsequent pro-inflammatory activation of microglia.

The imbalance between glutamate and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) results in the loss of synaptic strength leading to neurodegeneration. The dogma on the field considered neurons as the main players in this excitation‐inhibition (E/I) balance. However, current strategies focusing only on neurons have failed to completely understand this condition, bringing up the importance of glia as an alternative modulator for neuroinflammation as glia alter the activity of neurons and is a source of both neurotrophic and neurotoxic factors. This review's primary goal is to illustrate the role of glia over E/I balance in the central nervous system and its interaction with neurons. Rather than focusing only on the neuronal targets, we take a deeper look at glial receptors and proteins that could also be explored as drug targets, as they are early responders to neurotoxic insults. This review summarizes the neuron–glia interaction concerning GABA and glutamate, possible targets, and its involvement in the E/I imbalance in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis.

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