| / English Dictionary |
MICROGLIA
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Neuroglial tissue of mesodermal origin that can become phagocytic
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("microglia" is a kind of...):
glia; neuroglia (sustentacular tissue that surrounds and supports neurons in the central nervous system; glial and neural cells together compose the tissue of the central nervous system)
Meronyms (parts of "microglia"):
microgliacyte (a cell of the microglia that may become phagocytic and collect waste products of nerve tissue)
Context examples:
The types of glial cells include oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, microglia, and ependymal cells.
(Glial cell, NCI Dictionary)
The fact that these lesions are present in patients who are receiving anti-inflammatory drugs that quiet the body’s immune system also suggests that the field of MS research may want to focus on new treatments that target the brain’s unique immune system – especially a type of brain cell called microglia.
(Smoldering spots in the brain may signal severe multiple sclerosis, National Institutes of Health)
In addition, minocycline inhibits the inflammatory enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5LOX) and may impede T cell-microglia interactions; both activities may contribute to minocycline's neuroprotective effects. 5LOX catalyzes the synthesis of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes.
(Minocycline Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)
Microglia are also present in other parts of the central nervous system, including the brain.
(Immune cells in the retina can spontaneously regenerate, National Institutes of Health)
Scientists at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) used an experimental drug to eliminate microglia in prion-infected mice.
(Retinal prion disease study redefines role for brain cells, National Institutes of Health)
Experiments revealed that the morphine-induced pain sensitivity depended on the activation of an inflammasome protein called NLRP3 in microglia.
(Opioid Pain Relievers May Prolong Pain, NIH)
The microglia then create a cup-like structure over a single photoreceptor, surrounding it to ingest it in a process called phagocytosis.
(In blinding eye disease, trash-collecting cells go awry, accelerate damage, NIH)
Breakdown of this C3-CR3 interaction results in a decreased ability of microglia to phagocytose dead photoreceptors, which then accumulate in the retina, stimulating greater inflammation and degeneration.
(Immune system can slow degenerative eye disease, National Institutes of Health)
In a healthy retina, communication between neurons and microglia is important for maintaining the neuron’s ability to send signals to the brain.
(Immune cells in the retina can spontaneously regenerate, National Institutes of Health)
In contrast, the study findings indicated that microglia might delay disease progression.
(Retinal prion disease study redefines role for brain cells, National Institutes of Health)
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