2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (36): 7889-7897

Astrocytes regulate remyelination in central nervous system

Shui Jing1, He Yu1, Jiang Nan1, Xu Kun2, Song Lijuan2, 3, Ding Zhibin1, 2, Ma Cungen2, Li Xinyi1, 3   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Remyelination in the central nervous system is a basic repair process triggered by demyelinating events, mainly through the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells into oligodendrocytes. The process of remyelination is affected by many factors such as astrocytes, myelin debris, microglia, macrophages, endothelial cells, pericytes, T cells, and age.
OBJECTIVE: Astrocytes play an important role in regulating synaptic activity, nutritional support, and tissue repair in the central nervous system. This review aims to provide potential therapeutic targets for demyelinating diseases of central nervous system by reviewing the role of astrocytes in remyelination.
METHODS: A search was conducted on relevant literature collected from CNKI, PubMed, and Web of Science from 2014 to 2024. The search terms were “astrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, remyelination” in both Chinese and English. Finally, 66 articles were included after screening and summarized.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The treatment of demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, is limited to disease-modifying therapies, and there is no available method to overcome the failure of remyelination. Therefore, it is necessary to explore targets related to remyelination to promote myelin repair. (2) Remyelination is a process in which oligodendrocyte precursor cells proliferate, migrate, differentiate, and mature into oligodendrocytes, and the latter produce myelin to wrap axons to form myelin sheath. (3) Astrocytes regulate remyelination by phagocytosis of myelin debris, participating in inflammatory response, transforming into oligodendrocyte lineage cells, providing energy supply for oligodendrocyte lineage cells, releasing neurotrophic factors, and secreting extracellular matrix components. (4) The drugs screened in this paper use astrocytes and their derived factors as intervention targets to regulate the remyelination. Some drugs have satisfactory effects, but their effectiveness and safety still need more basic research and clinical trials to verify. (5) The mechanism of action of astrocytes in remyelination has not been fully elucidated, and the related molecular targets and signaling pathways can be further studied.

Key words: astrocyte, central nervous system, oligodendrocyte precursor cell, oligodendrocyte, remyelination, myelin debris, neurotrophic factor, extracellular matrix, cholesterol, mechanism