PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bin Liu
AU  - Jau-Shyong Hong
TI  - Role of Microglia in Inflammation-Mediated Neurodegenerative Diseases: Mechanisms and Strategies for Therapeutic Intervention
AID  - 10.1124/jpet.102.035048
DP  - 2003 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 1--7
VI  - 304
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/304/1/1.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/304/1/1.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther2003 Jan 01; 304
AB  - Evidence from postmortem analysis implicates the involvement of microglia in the neurodegenerative process of several degenerative neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. It remains to be determined, however, whether microglial activation plays a role in the initiation stage of disease progression or occurs merely as a response to neuronal death. Activated microglia secrete a variety of proinflammatory and neurotoxic factors that are believed to induce and/or exacerbate neurodegeneration. In this article, we summarize recent advances on the study of the role of microglia based on findings from animal and cell culture models in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, with particular emphasis on Parkinson's disease. In addition, we also discuss novel approaches to potential therapeutic strategies. U.S. Government