Over the last years, studies on microglia cell function in chronic neuro-inflammation and neuronal necrosis pointed towards an eminent role of these cells in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease. It was found, that microglia cell activity can be stimulated towards a pro- or an anti-inflammatory profile, depending on the stimulating signals. Therefore, investigation of receptors expressed by microglia cells and ligands influencing their activation state is of eminent interest. A receptor found to be expressed by microglia cells is the mineralocorticoid receptor. One of its ligands is Aldosterone, a naturally produced steroid hormone of the adrenal cortex, which mainly induces homeostatic and renal effects. We evaluated if the addition of Aldosterone to LPS stimulated microglia cells changes their inflammatory profile. Therefore, we assessed the levels of nitric oxide (NO), iNOS, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and COX-2 in untreated, LPS-treated and LPS/Aldosterone-treated microglia cells. Furthermore we analyzed p38-MAP-Kinase and NFκB signaling within these cells. Our results indicate that the co-stimulation with Aldosterone leads to a decrease of the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory effect and thus renders Aldosterone an anti-inflammatory agent in our model system.
Keywords: Cell biology; Immunology; Molecular biology; Neuroscience.