Neurogenic exacerbation of microglial and astrocyte responses to Neisseria meningitidis and Borrelia burgdorferi

Although glial cells are recognized for their roles in maintaining neuronal function, there is growing appreciation of the ability of resident CNS cells to initiate and/or augment inflammation following trauma or infection. The tachykinin, substance P (SP), is well known to augment inflammatory responses at peripheral sites and its presence throughout the CNS raises the possibility that this neuropeptide might serve a similar function within the brain. In support of this hypothesis, we have recently demonstrated the expression of high affinity receptors for SP (Neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptors) on microglia and shown that this tachykinin can significantly elevate bacterially induced inflammatory prostanoid production by isolated cultures of these cells. In the present study, we demonstrate that endogenous SP/NK-1R interactions are an essential component in the initiation and/or progression of CNS inflammation in vivo following exposure to two clinically relevant bacterial CNS pathogens, Neisseria meningitidis and Borrelia burgdorferi. We show that in vivo elevations in inflammatory cytokine production and decreases in the production of an immunosuppressive cytokine are markedly attenuated in mice genetically deficient in the expression of the NK-1R or in mice treated with a specific NK-1R antagonist. Furthermore, we have used isolated cultures of microglia and astrocytes to demonstrate that SP can augment inflammatory cytokine production by these resident CNS cell types following exposure to either of these bacterial pathogens. Taken together, these studies indicate a potentially important role for neurogenic exacerbation of resident glial immune responses in CNS inflammatory diseases, such as bacterial meningitis.