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BackgroundLuteolin, a plant derived flavonoid, exerts a variety of pharmacological activities and anti-oxidant properties associated with its capacity to scavenge oxygen and nitrogen species. Luteolin also shows potent anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) signaling in immune cells. To better understand the immuno-modulatory effects of this important flavonoid, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis in pro-inflammatory challenged microglia treated with luteolin and conducted a phenotypic and functional characterization.MethodsResting and LPS-activated BV-2 microglia were treated with luteolin in various concentrations and mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory markers were determined. DNA microarray experiments and bioinformatic data mining were performed to capture global transcriptomic changes following luteolin stimulation of microglia. Extensive qRT-PCR analyses were carried out for an independent confirmation of newly identified luteolin-regulated transcripts. The activation state of luteolin-treated microglia was assessed by morphological characterization. Microglia-mediated neurotoxicity was assessed by quantifying secreted nitric oxide levels and apoptosis of 661W photoreceptors cultured in microglia-conditioned medium.ResultsLuteolin dose-dependently suppressed pro-inflammatory marker expression in LPS-activated microglia and triggered global changes in the microglial transcriptome with more than 50 differentially expressed transcripts. Pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic gene expression was effectively blocked by luteolin. In contrast, mRNA levels of genes related to anti-oxidant metabolism, phagocytic uptake, ramification, and chemotaxis were significantly induced. Luteolin treatment had a major effect on microglial morphology leading to ramification of formerly amoeboid cells associated with the formation of long filopodia. When co-incubated with luteolin, LPS-activated microglia showed strongly reduced NO secretion and significantly decreased neurotoxicity on 661W photoreceptor cultures.ConclusionsOur findings confirm the inhibitory effects of luteolin on pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in microglia. Moreover, our transcriptomic data suggest that this flavonoid is a potent modulator of microglial activation and affects several signaling pathways leading to a unique phenotype with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and neuroprotective characteristics. With the identification of several novel luteolin-regulated genes, our findings provide a molecular basis to understand the versatile effects of luteolin on microglial homeostasis. The data also suggest that luteolin could be a promising candidate to develop immuno-modulatory and neuroprotective therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Material

1These authors contributed equally to this work.Abbreviations used: ADA, adrenic acid; ALA, a-linolenic acid; ARA, arachidonic acid; Ccl2, chemokine C-C motif ligand 2; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; DPA, docosapentaenoic acid; GFP, green fluorescent protein; IL, interleukin; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; Ltc4s, leukotriene C4 synthase; MS, mass spectrometry; P, postnatal day; PBS, phosphatebuffered saline; PNA, peanut agglutinin; Ptgs2, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; RPE65, retinal pigment epithelium 65; Rs, retinoschisin; TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling. AbstractMicrogliosis is a common phenomenon in neurodegenerative disorders including retinal dystrophies. We performed a detailed characterization of activated microglia in the retinoschisin (Rs1h)-deficient (Rs1h )/Y ) mouse model of inherited retinal degeneration. To visualize and isolate microglia, we crossed Rs1h )/Y animals with transgenic MacGreen mice, which express green fluorescent protein under the control of the macrophage-specific csf1r promoter. Activated microglia were detected in retinal sections and whole-mounts of early postnatal MacGreen/Rs1h )/Y mice before the onset of overt neuronal cell death. These activated microglia contained prominent lipid droplets and analysis of the retinal lipid composition showed decreased docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in Rs1h )/Y retinas. To establish a link between microglia activation, reduced DHA levels, and neurodegeneration, a dietary intervention study was performed. Female Rs1h )/) mice and their Rs1h )/Y litter were either subjected to a diet enriched with DHA, or a control chow lacking DHA. Supplementation with DHA enhanced photoreceptor survival and converted activated microglia to a quiescent phenotype. Furthermore, DHA, but not docosapentaenoic acid or adrenic acid reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression, migration, and lipid accumulation of cultured BV-2 microglia. We conclude that retinal DHA levels control the activity of microglia and thereby may affect the progression and extent of retinal degeneration.

The ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 are highly expressed in macrophage-derived foam cells and promote reverse cholesterol efflux via biogenesis of high-density lipoproteins. The aim of this study was to analyze the direct effects of bioactive factors related to the metabolic syndrome on macrophage transcript levels of all 47 human ABC transporters. Using in vitro M-CSF predifferentiated macrophages and TaqMan low density arrays we could show that linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and high glucose levels have a major impact on ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression but do not strongly affect most other human ABC transporters. In Western blot experiments we demonstrate that ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein levels are synchronously suppressed by high glucose levels and the ω6-unsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid. We conclude that metabolites associated with the metabolic syndrome enhance the formation of atherosclerotic lesions by diminishing the reverse cholesterol transport function of ABCA1 and ABCG1.