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 Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates
09:12

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates

Published on: January 30, 2014

Zinc triggers microglial activation.

Tiina M Kauppinen1, Youichirou Higashi, Sang Won Suh

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of California, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California 94121, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|May 30, 2008
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

Amlexanox as a multi-target neuroregenerative modulator for traumatic brain injury.

Neural regeneration research·2026
Same author

Co-Lifecycle Governance for Learning Medical AI: A Hybrid Convergence Framework for Adaptive Regulatory Oversight.

Journal of medical Internet research·2026
Same author

The zinc-nitric oxide axis in acute brain injury: Convergent oxidative-nitrative stress, peroxynitrite signaling, and therapeutic targets.

Redox biology·2026
Same author

Signaling cascades shape functional subpopulations of cortical astrocytes in male wild-type mice and APP/PS1dE9 Alzheimer's disease model.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Diverging regulatory DNA in adaptive medical AI: US agility and EU accountability in lifecycle governance.

Frontiers in medicine·2026
Same author

Trans-septal delivery of hydrogel-encapsulated human umbilical cord MSC-derived neurospheres for acute neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury.

APL bioengineering·2026

Extracellular zinc directly activates microglia, the brain's immune cells, by triggering a signaling pathway involving NADPH oxidase, PARP-1, and NF-kappaB, contributing to neurological disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Microglia are the primary immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS).
  • Microglial activation, characterized by morphological changes and release of inflammatory factors, can contribute to neuronal damage.
  • Zinc is released during conditions associated with microglial activation, and its chelation can mitigate neuronal death in neurological disease models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether extracellular zinc directly triggers microglial activation.
  • To elucidate the signaling pathway involved in zinc-induced microglial activation.
  • To determine the role of zinc in microglial responses during neurological conditions like ischemia-reperfusion.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized NF-kappaB reporter gene assays in transfected microglia.

More Related Videos

Microglia as a Surrogate Biosensor to Determine Nanoparticle Neurotoxicity
08:37

Microglia as a Surrogate Biosensor to Determine Nanoparticle Neurotoxicity

Published on: October 25, 2016

Magnetic Isolation of Microglial Cells from Neonate Mouse for Primary Cell Cultures
07:23

Magnetic Isolation of Microglial Cells from Neonate Mouse for Primary Cell Cultures

Published on: July 25, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates
09:12

Isolation of Cortical Microglia with Preserved Immunophenotype and Functionality From Murine Neonates

Published on: January 30, 2014

Microglia as a Surrogate Biosensor to Determine Nanoparticle Neurotoxicity
08:37

Microglia as a Surrogate Biosensor to Determine Nanoparticle Neurotoxicity

Published on: October 25, 2016

Magnetic Isolation of Microglial Cells from Neonate Mouse for Primary Cell Cultures
07:23

Magnetic Isolation of Microglial Cells from Neonate Mouse for Primary Cell Cultures

Published on: July 25, 2022

  • Assessed nitric oxide production, F4/80 expression, and cytokine profiles in zinc-exposed microglia.
  • Employed genetic knockout models (PARP-1, NADPH oxidase deficient mice) and in vivo zinc injection.
  • Investigated microglial activation following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and the effect of zinc chelation.

    • Main Results:

    • Zinc exposure significantly increased NF-kappaB activity, nitric oxide production, and F4/80 expression in microglia.
    • Zinc-induced microglial activation was dependent on NADPH oxidase, PARP-1, and NF-kappaB activation.
    • In vivo, zinc injection and ischemia-reperfusion-induced zinc release triggered microglial activation, which was attenuated in knockout mice or by zinc chelation.

    Conclusions:

    • Extracellular zinc acts as a direct trigger for microglial activation.
    • The activation pathway involves sequential signaling through NADPH oxidase, PARP-1, and NF-kappaB.
    • This mechanism highlights a novel role for zinc in neuroinflammation and its potential contribution to neurological disorders.