Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, which is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and senile plaques formed by amyloid β (Aβ). Microglia are the immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Studies have proposed 2 types of microglia, namely, the resident microglia and bone marrow–derived microglia (BMDM). Recent studies suggested that BMDM, not the resident microglia, can phagocytose Aβ, which has a great therapeutic potential in AD. Bone marrow–derived microglia can populate the CNS in an efficient manner and their functions can be regulated by some genes. Thus, methods that increase their recruitment and phagocytosis could be used as a new tool that clears Aβ and ameliorates cognitive impairment. Herein, we review the neuroprotective functions of BMDM and their therapeutic potential in AD.

阿尔茨海默氏病（AD）是痴呆症的最常见形式，其特征是进行性认知功能减退和淀粉样β（Aβ）形成的老年斑。小胶质细胞是中枢神经系统（CNS）的免疫细胞。研究提出了两种类型的小胶质细胞，即常驻小胶质细胞和骨髓源性小胶质细胞（BMDM）。最近的研究表明，BMDM，而不是常驻的小胶质细胞，可以吞噬Aβ，这在AD中具有巨大的治疗潜力。骨髓来源的小胶质细胞可以有效地填充中枢神经系统，其功能可以通过某些基因来调节。因此，增加其募集和吞噬作用的方法可以用作清除Aβ并改善认知障碍的新工具。本文中，我们综述了BMDM的神经保护功能及其在AD中的治疗潜力。