Regulations of Retinal Inflammation: Focusing on Muller Glia

Retinal inflammation underlies multiple prevalent retinal diseases. While microglia are one of the most studied cell types regarding retinal inflammation, growing evidence shows that Muller glia play critical roles in the regulation of retinal inflammation. Muller glia express various receptors for cytokines and release cytokines to regulate inflammation. Muller glia are part of the blood-retinal barrier and interact with microglia in the inflammatory responses. The unique metabolic features of Muller glia in the retina makes them vital for retinal homeostasis maintenance, regulating retinal inflammation by lipid metabolism, purine metabolism, iron metabolism, trophic factors, and antioxidants. miRNAs in Muller glia regulate inflammatory responses via different mechanisms and potentially regulate retinal regeneration. Novel therapies are explored targeting Muller glia for inflammatory retinal diseases treatment. Here we review new findings regarding the roles of Muller glia in retinal inflammation and discuss the related novel therapies for retinal diseases.