The dual role of astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis

Astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis accompany most of the pathologies in the brain, spinal cord, and retina. Reactive gliosis has been described as constitutive, graded, multi-stage, and evolutionary conserved defensive astroglial reaction [Verkhratsky and Butt (2013) In: Glial Physiology and Pathophysiology]. A well- known feature of astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis are the increased production of intermediate filament proteins (also known as nanofilament proteins) and remodeling of the intermediate filament system of astrocytes. Activation of astrocytes is associated with changes in the expression of many genes and characteristic morphological hallmarks, and has important functional consequences in situations such as stroke, trauma, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and other neurodegenerative diseases. The impact of astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis on the pathogenesis of different neurological disorders is not yet fully understood but the available experimental evidence points to many beneficial aspects of astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis that range from isolation and sequestration of the affected region of the central nervous system (CNS) from the neighboring tissue that limits the lesion size to active neuroprotection and regulation of the CNS homeostasis in times of acute ischemic, osmotic, or other kinds of stress. The available experimental data from selected CNS pathologies suggest that if not resolved in time, reactive gliosis can exert inhibitory effects on several aspects of neuroplasticity and CNS regeneration and thus might become a target for future therapeutic interventions.