Astrocytes are well known to play critical roles in the development and maintenance of the central nervous system (CNS). Moreover, recent reports indicate that these cells are heterogeneous with respect to the molecules they express and the functions they exhibit in the quiescent or activated state. Because astrocytes also contribute to pathology, promising new results raise the possibility of manipulating specific astroglial populations for therapeutic roles. In this mini-review, we highlight the function of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), in particular mGluR3 and mGluR5, in reactive astrocytes and relate these to three degenerative CNS diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Previous studies demonstrate that effects of these receptors may be beneficial, but this varies depending on the subtype of receptor, the state of the astrocytes, and the specific disease to which they are exposed. Elucidating the role of mGluRs on astrocytes at specific times during development and disease will provide novel insights in understanding how to best use these to serve as therapeutic targets.

中文翻译：

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反应性星形胶质细胞作为脑退行性疾病的治疗靶点：代谢型谷氨酸受体的作用。

众所周知，星形胶质细胞在中枢神经系统 (CNS) 的发育和维持中发挥着关键作用。此外，最近的报告表明，这些细胞在它们表达的分子和它们在静止或激活状态下表现出的功能方面是异质的。因为星形胶质细胞也有助于病理学，有希望的新结果提高了操纵特定星形胶质细胞群以发挥治疗作用的可能性。在这篇小型综述中，我们强调了代谢型谷氨酸受体 (mGluR) 的功能，特别是 mGluR3 和 mGluR5 在反应性星形胶质细胞中的作用，并将它们与三种退行性中枢神经系统疾病联系起来：多发性硬化症、阿尔茨海默病和肌萎缩性侧索硬化症。以前的研究表明，这些受体的作用可能是有益的，但这取决于受体的亚型、星形胶质细胞的状态以及它们所暴露的特定疾病。阐明 mGluRs 在发育和疾病特定时期对星形胶质细胞的作用将为理解如何最好地利用它们作为治疗靶点提供新的见解。