Air pollution has become one of the most serious issues for human health and has been shown to be particularly concerning for neural and cognitive health. Recent studies suggest that fine particulate matter of less than 2.5 (PM2.5), common in air pollution, can reach the brain, potentially resulting in the development and acceleration of various neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other forms of dementia, but the underlying pathological mechanisms are not clear. Astaxanthin is a red-colored phytonutrient carotenoid that has been known for anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we demonstrated that exposure to PM2.5 increases the neuroinflammation, the expression of proinflammatory M1, and disease-associated microglia (DAM) signature markers in microglial cells, and that treatment with astaxanthin can prevent the neurotoxic effects of this exposure through anti-inflammatory properties. Diesel particulate matter (Sigma-Aldrich) was used as a fine particulate matter 2.5 in the present study. Cultured rat glial cells and BV-2 microglial cells were treated with various concentrations of PM2.5, and then the expression of various inflammatory mediators and signaling pathways were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blot. Astaxanthin was then added and assayed as above to evaluate its effects on microglial changes, inflammation, and toxicity induced by PM2.5. PM2.5 increased the production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species and upregulated the transcription of various proinflammatory markers including Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), Toll-like receptor 2/4 (TLR2/4), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in BV-2 microglial cells. However, the mRNA expression of IL-10 and arginase-1 decreased following PM2.5 treatment. PM2.5 treatment increased c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) phosphorylation and decreased Akt phosphorylation. Astaxanthin attenuated these PM2.5-induced responses, reducing transcription of the proinflammatory markers iNOS and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which prevented neuronal cell death. Our results indicate that PM2.5 exposure reformulates microglia via proinflammatory M1 and DAM phenotype, leading to neurotoxicity, and the fact that astaxanthin treatment can prevent neurotoxicity by inhibiting transition to the proinflammatory M1 and DAM phenotypes. These results demonstrate that PM2.5 exposure can induce brain damage through the change of proinflammatory M1 and DAM signatures in the microglial cells, as well as the fact that astaxanthin can have a potential beneficial effect on PM2.5 exposure of the brain.

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Sleep is a restorative period that plays a crucial role in the physiological functioning of the body, including that of the immune system, memory processing, and cognition. Sleep disturbances can be caused by various physical, mental, and social problems. Recently, there has been growing interest in sleep. Maydis stigma (MS, corn silk) is a female maize flower that is traditionally used as a medicinal plant to treat many diseases, including hypertension, edema, and diabetes. It is also used as a functional food in tea and other supplements. β-Sitosterol (BS) is a phytosterol and a natural micronutrient in higher plants, and it has a similar structure to cholesterol. It is a major component of MS and has anti-inflammatory, antidepressive, and sedative effects. However, the potential effects of MS on sleep regulation remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of MS on sleep in mice. The effects of MS on sleep induction were determined using pentobarbital-induced sleep and caffeine-induced sleep disruption mouse models. MS extracts decreased sleep latency and increased sleep duration in both the pentobarbital-induced sleep induction and caffeine-induced sleep disruption models compared to the positive control, valerian root extract. The butanol fraction of MS extracts decreased sleep latency time and increased sleep duration. In addition, β-sitosterol enhances sleep latency and sleep duration. Both MS extract and β-sitosterol increased alpha activity in the EEG analysis. We measured the mRNA expression of melatonin receptors 1 and 2 (MT1/2) using qRT-PCR. The mRNA expression of melatonin receptors 1 and 2 was increased by MS extract and β-sitosterol treatment in rat primary cultured neurons and the brain. In addition, MS extract increased the expression of clock genes including per1/2, cry1/2, and Bmal1 in the brain. MS extract and β-sitosterol increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and αCaMKII. Our results demonstrate for the first time that MS has a sleep-promoting effect via melatonin receptor expression, which may provide new scientific evidence for its use as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of sleep disturbance.