Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41299504›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2025

FOXA2 regulated by HDAC3-mediated deacetylation attenuates neuropathic pain by modulating microglial lipid metabolism and synaptic pruning dysregulation.

Hui Zeng, Bo Wang, ZhiLin Huang, LiJie Gao, Yao Xiao, XinLi Liu, Yin Xu, ZiWei Hu, JiaHui Pang, YouXin Yu and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroinflammation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Hui Zeng *Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
Bo Wang *Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
ZhiLin Huang *Department of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinic Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
LiJie GaoCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
Yao XiaoZhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
XinLi LiuCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
Yin XuCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
ZiWei HuCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
JiaHui PangCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
YouXin YuCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China.
YanWu GuoDepartment of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinic Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China. eguoyanwu@163.com.
Wen WuCenter of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, China. wuwen66@163.com.

Funding

Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2023A1515010200The National Natural Science Foundation of China 82172526
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPersistent neuroinflammation and synaptic dysregulation in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) has been well-established as a critical mechanism contributing to neuropathic pain (NP). Microglia play a pivotal role in modulating both neuroinflammatory responses and synaptic pruning. While metabolic disturbances are known to significantly impact microglial functionality, the precise mechanistic relationship remains poorly understood.

methodsThis study seeks to elucidate how FOXA2-mediated regulation of lipid metabolism influences microglial function. Multiple assays were conducted on mouse SDH tissues and in vitro microglial cells, including immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), qRT-PCR, Western blot (WB), and specific indicator assay kits, to comprehensively evaluate: (i) microglial lipid metabolism, (ii) mitochondrial morphology and functional integrity, (iii) inflammatory cytokine levels, and (iv) synaptic phagocytic activity. AAV-mediated FOXA2 overexpression or knockdown was employed to investigate its therapeutic effects on NP via modulating microglial lipid metabolism homeostasis. Transcriptome sequencing analysis, Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and dual-luciferase reporter assays were employed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms among HDAC3, CPT1A, and FOXA2.

resultsHere we demonstrate that both spared nerve injury (SNI) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation trigger significant lipid droplet accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction in microglia, leading to impaired phagocytic function. FOXA2 ameliorates NP by upregulating CPT1A to restore microglial lipid metabolism and mitochondrial homeostasis, thereby meliorating dysregulated synaptic pruning and alleviating neuroinflammation. We identified HDAC3-mediated deacetylation as a critical regulatory mechanism controlling FOXA2 transcriptional activity. Pharmacological inhibition of HDAC3 by RGFP966 significantly enhanced FOXA2 binding to the CPT1A promoter region, thereby amplifying FOXA2-dependent lipid metabolic reprogramming in microglia.

conclusionsCollectively, our study establishes microglial lipid metabolism as a critical regulator of NP pathogenesis, orchestrating both neuroinflammatory responses and synaptic remodeling processes. These findings unveil novel therapeutic opportunities for pain management through targeted modulation of microglial metabolic homeostasis.

Indexed as

Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-betaHistone DeacetylasesLipid MetabolismMicrogliaNeuralgiaAcetylationAnimalsHistone Deacetylase 3MaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLSpinal Cord Dorsal HornFoxa2 protein, mouseHepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-betaHistone Deacetylase 3Histone DeacetylasesFOXA2Lipid metabolismMicrogliaNeuropathic painSynaptic pruning

Identifiers

PMID41299504
PMCPMC12659397

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.