Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Microglia in brain tumors.

Manuel B Graeber1, Bernd W Scheithauer2, Georg W Kreutzberg3

  • 1Department of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.

Glia
|October 16, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Consensus statement on microglial and macrophage functions in gliomas.

Acta neuropathologica·2026
Same author

Brain tau PET-based identification and characterization of subpopulations in patients with Alzheimer's disease using deep learning-derived saliency maps.

EJNMMI physics·2025
Same author

TAMing Gliomas: Unraveling the Roles of Iba1 and CD163 in Glioblastoma.

Cancers·2025
Same author

Microglia and brain macrophages are differentially associated with tumor necrosis in glioblastoma: A link to tumor progression.

Oncology research·2025
Same author

Microglia-Derived Brain Macrophages Associate with Glioblastoma Stem Cells: A Potential Mechanism for Tumor Progression Revealed by AI-Assisted Analysis.

Cells·2025
Same author

Pulsed focused ultrasound alters the proteomic profile of the tumor microenvironment in a syngeneic mouse model of glioblastoma.

Journal of neuro-oncology·2024

Microglia, immune cells in the brain, are co-opted by astrocytic gliomas, hindering anti-tumor defense. Targeting microglia for brain tumor therapy is currently premature.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Microglia, the primary immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), were historically overlooked in neurooncology.
  • Recent findings highlight microglia's presence within and around brain tumors, particularly astrocytic gliomas, and their contribution to tumor mass.
  • While microglia are implicated in CNS defense against neoplasms, their role in astrocytomas appears compromised, enabling tumor progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the complex role of microglia in the context of astrocytic gliomas.
  • To evaluate the potential of microglial cells in anti-tumor defense within the brain.
  • To assess the feasibility of therapeutic strategies targeting microglia for brain tumor treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on microglia and brain tumor interactions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of evidence regarding microglial behavior modulation by tumor cells.
  • Examination of the plasticity of microglial cells in different CNS conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Microglial cells are significantly involved in astrocytic gliomas, contributing to tumor mass and potentially supporting tumor growth and infiltration.
    • Tumor cells appear to control microglial behavior, subverting their potential anti-neoplastic functions.
    • The plasticity of microglia means their immune functions, such as cytotoxicity, may not be consistently active during glioma progression.

    Conclusions:

    • Microglial immune defense mechanisms are impaired in astrocytomas, representing a critical vulnerability exploited by tumors.
    • Generalizing microglial biology from one context (e.g., CNS infections) to another (glioma progression) is risky.
    • Therapeutic strategies aimed at recruiting microglia for treating diffuse gliomas like astrocytomas are currently not supported by evidence and should be approached with caution.