Oxidized low-density lipoprotein changes the inflammatory status and metabolomics profiles in human and mouse macrophages and microglia

Yaru Sun; Jia-Jian Liang; Jianming Xu; Kewen Zhou; Changzhen Fu; Shao-Lang Chen; Rucui Yang; Tsz Kin Ng; Qingping Liu; Mingzhi Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28806

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein changes the inflammatory status and metabolomics profiles in human and mouse macrophages and microglia

Heliyon. 2024 Mar 28;10(7):e28806. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28806. eCollection 2024 Apr 15.

Authors

Yaru Sun^{1

2}, Jia-Jian Liang¹, Jianming Xu^{1

2}, Kewen Zhou^{1

2}, Changzhen Fu¹, Shao-Lang Chen¹, Rucui Yang^{1

2}, Tsz Kin Ng^{1

3}, Qingping Liu¹, Mingzhi Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Joint Shantou International Eye Center of Shantou University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shantou, Gaungdong, China.
² Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China.
³ Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Abstract

The conjunctiva of primary open angle glaucoma patients showed high level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), which is associated with the inflammatory response. Microglia and macrophages are the immune cells involved in retinal ganglion cell survival regulation; yet, their roles of the ox-LDL-induced inflammation in glaucoma remain elusive. Here we aimed to investigate the lipid uptake, inflammatory cytokine expression, and metabolomics profiles of human and murine-derived microglial and macrophage cell lines treated with ox-LDL. Under the same ox-LDL concentration, macrophages exhibited higher lipid uptake and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines as compared to microglia. The ox-LDL increased the levels of fatty acid metabolites in macrophages and sphingomyelin metabolites in microglia. In summary, this study revealed the heterogeneity in the inflammatory capacity and metabolic profiles of macrophages and microglia under the stimulation of ox-LDL.

Keywords: Inflammatory response; Macrophages; Metabolites; Microglia; Oxidized low-density lipoprotein.