Hypoxia as an Initiator of Neuroinflammation: Microglial Connections

Hypoxia, which is a lowered physiological oxygen tension, is an important biological signal as well as a component of many diseases. In central nervous system, hypoxia is associated with brain injury following the ischemic stroke. Recent studies indicate that hypoxia may not only induce a direct neuronal damage, but it may also initiate inflammatory responses by activating microglia. Toxic inflammatory mediators produced by activated microglia under hypoxic conditions exacerbate the neuronal injury during cerebral ischemia. Pharmacological inhibition of hypoxic activation of microglia may prove to be neuroprotective against ischemic stroke.