Effects of Celastrol on Bv-2 Microglial Cells Exposed to in Vitro Hypoxia.

Microglia are a subset of macrophages permanently present in the central nervous system. Apart from being the key effector of the innate immune response, microglia play a major role in the maintenance of homeostasis. They represent the first line of defence in the central nervous system and as such are affected by all changes in their environment. Microglia respond to hypoxia with acute inflammation, followed by a tendency for an anti-inflammatory switch during the late post-hypoxia period. Celastrol, a naturally occurring quinone methide triterpene derived from the Thunder of God Vine, is a pleiotropic compound showing anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, anti-hypertensive, and anti-diabetic activity in numerous cellular and in vivo models. The aim of our research was to determine the effects of celastrol on microglial cells exposed to in vitro hypoxic conditions.