Perspective from single-cell sequencing: Is inflammation in acute ischemic stroke beneficial or detrimental?

BackgroundAcute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a common cerebrovascular event associated with high incidence, disability, and poor prognosis. Studies have shown that various cell types, including microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons, and neutrophils, play complex roles in the early stages of AIS and significantly affect its prognosis. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of action of these cells will be beneficial for improving stroke prognosis. With the rapid development of single-cell sequencing technology, researchers have explored the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AIS at the single-cell level.MethodWe systematically summarize the latest research on single-cell sequencing in AIS.ResultIn this review, we summarize the phenotypes and functions of microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons, neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, as well as their respective subtypes, at different time points following AIS. In particular, we focused on the crosstalk between microglia and astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. Our findings reveal diverse and sometimes opposing roles within the same cell type, with the possibility of interconversion between different subclusters.ConclusionThis review offers a pioneering exploration of the functions of various glial cells and cell subclusters after AIS, shedding light on their regulatory mechanisms that facilitate the transformation of detrimental cell subclusters towards those that are beneficial for improving the prognosis of AIS. This approach has the potential to advance the discovery of new specific targets and the development of drugs, thus representing a significant breakthrough in addressing the challenges in AIS treatment. Single-cell sequencing reveals complex interactions of brain cells after acute ischemic stroke. After acute ischemic stroke, brain cells include microglia, astrocytes, peripheral blood macrophages, OPCs, oligodendrocytes, neutrophils, Th1 cells, CD8+ cells, B cells, NK cells, Treg cells, etc., cross-talk with each other to participate in the disease mechanism.image