Ceramide activates microglia to enhance the production/secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) without induction of deleterious factors in vitro.

In analyzing the regulation of neurotrophin production/secretion from microglia, C8-ceramide (D-erythro-sphingosine, N-octanoyl-) was found to induce secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) from microglia in vitro. In the present study, the action of C8-ceramide in secreting neurotrophic and harmful factors was investigated and compared with the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). C8-ceramide as well as LPS enhanced the production/secretion of BDNF but, different from LPS, did not induce tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta, or nitric oxide. The C8-ceramide-induced BDNF release was significantly suppressed by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide, which targets PKC isoforms, alpha, beta, gamma, delta and epsilon. However, it was not suppressed by a specific inhibitor of PKCalpha. Furthermore, PKCbeta and gamma were undetected in the microglia. Therefore, PKCdelta and/or epsilon appear to be functioning PKC isoforms. In contrast, none of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and none of the transcription factors, including the cAMP response element-binding transcription factor (CREB) and nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) were activated in the microglia in response to C8-ceramide. These results indicate that ceramide-induced BDNF release in microglia is mediated by a signaling pathway associated with PKCdelta and/or epsilon, but not with activation of MAPKs, CREB and NFkappaB.