Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40181459›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2025

Microglia determine an immune-challenged environment and facilitate ibuprofen action in human retinal organoids.

Verena Schmied, Medina Korkut-Demirbaş, Alessandro Venturino, Juan Pablo Maya-Arteaga, Sandra Siegert

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. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

The trial behind it

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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. "ArmedFrontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025
    Review
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

5 authors.

Verena SchmiedInstitute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Medina Korkut-DemirbaşInstitute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Alessandro VenturinoInstitute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Juan Pablo Maya-ArteagaInstitute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Sandra SiegertInstitute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria. ssiegert@ista.ac.at.

Funding

Gesellschaft für Forschungsförderung Niederösterreich Sc19-017
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Prenatal immune challenges pose significant risks to human embryonic brain and eye development. However, our knowledge about the safe usage of anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy is still limited. While human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSC)-derived brain organoid models have started to explore functional consequences upon viral stimulation, these models commonly lack microglia, which are susceptible to and promote inflammation. Furthermore, microglia are actively involved in neuronal development. Here, we generate hIPSC-derived microglia precursor cells and assemble them into retinal organoids. Once the outer plexiform layer forms, these hIPSC-derived microglia (iMG) fully integrate into the retinal organoids. Since the ganglion cell survival declines by this time in 3D-retinal organoids, we adapted the model into 2D and identify that the improved ganglion cell number significantly decreases only with iMG presence. In parallel, we applied the immunostimulant POLY(I:C) to mimic a fetal viral infection. While POLY(I:C) exposure alters the iMG phenotype, it does not hinder their interaction with ganglion cells. Furthermore, iMG significantly enhance the supernatant's inflammatory secretome and increase retinal cell proliferation. Simultaneous exposure with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen dampens POLY(I:C)-mediated changes of the iMG phenotype and ameliorates cell proliferation. Remarkably, while POLY(I:C) disrupts neuronal calcium dynamics independent of iMG, ibuprofen rescues this effect only if iMG are present. Mechanistically, ibuprofen targets the enzymes cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (COX1/PTGS1 and COX2/PTGS2) simultaneously, from which iMG mainly express COX1. Selective COX1 blockage fails to restore the calcium peak amplitude upon POLY(I:C) stimulation, suggesting ibuprofen's beneficial effect depends on the presence and interplay of COX1 and COX2. These findings underscore the importance of microglia in the context of prenatal immune challenges and provide insight into the mechanisms by which ibuprofen exerts its protective effects during embryonic development.

Indexed as

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalIbuprofenMicrogliaOrganoidsRetinaHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalIbuprofenCOX1Human induced pluripotent stem cellsIbuprofenMicrogliaNeuro-immune challengePOLY(I:C)PrenatalProstaglandinPTGS1Retinal organoidTORCH

Identifiers

PMID40181459
PMCPMC11966913

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.