Pro-gliogenic effect of IL-1alpha in the differentiation of embryonic neural precursor cells in vitro.

Inflammation is regarded as a main obstacle to brain regeneration. Major detrimental effects are attributed to microglial/macrophagic products, such as TNF-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6. The role of cytokines of the IL-1 family, particularly of IL-1alpha, in the modulation of neural precursor cell (NPC) properties is less characterized. IL-1alpha is one of the most abundant cytokines released upon acute stimulation of microglia with lipopolysaccharide and is down-regulated upon chronic stimulation. As we recently demonstrated, acutely activated microglia reduces NPC survival, prevent neuronal differentiation and promote glial differentiation. Chronically activated microglia are instead permissive to NPC survival and neuronal differentiation, and less effective in promoting astrocytic differentiation. We thus investigated whether IL-1alpha could contribute to the effects of acutely activated microglia on NPC. We found that NPC express functional IL-1 receptors and that exposure to recombinant IL-1alpha strongly enhances NPC differentiation into astrocytes, without affecting cell viability and neuronal differentiation. In the same conditions, recombinant IL-1beta has pro-gliogenic effects at concentrations 10-fold higher than those found in activated microglial conditioned media. Interestingly, immunodepletion of IL-1alpha in activated microglial conditioned media fails to revert microglial pro-gliogenic action and slightly enhances neuronal differentiation, revealing that other microglial-derived factors contribute to the modulation of NPC properties.