Dual Role of Microglial Cells in the Immune Inflammatory Reaction of Alzheimer′s Disease

Alzheimer′s disease(AD)is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly.At present,the chronic inflammation caused by the deposit of β-amyloid is considered to be the core mechanism of AD.Microglial cells which are involved in the whole process of AD′s pathogenesis are the most important cells in the inflammation process of AD.Microglia can be activated by β-amyloid protein,this activation can cause further release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and toxicmediators that might induce inflammatory responses in AD patients′brain and might contribute to neuronal injury and death.On the other hand,the activated microglia can engulf β-amyloid protein,thus can lessen the damage to brain caused by β-amyloid protein.This article reviews the dual role of microglial cells in the immune inflammatory reaction of AD.