Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that is often associated with profound impairment in patients′ daily functioning, and its etiology and pathophysiology are still to be fully elucidated. There is a pathological correlation between inflammation, brain injuries, and the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, with microglia actively participating in these processes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of microglial cells on neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity, and microglia abnormalities mediating the onset of schizophrenia by contributing to damage in different brain regions.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that is often associated with profound impairment in patients′ daily functioning, and its etiology and pathophysiology are still to be fully elucidated. There is a pathological correlation between inflammation, brain injuries, and the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, with microglia actively participating in these processes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of microglial cells on neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity, and microglia abnormalities mediating the onset of schizophrenia by contributing to damage in different brain regions.

BACKGROUND: Despite the progress in perinatal-neonatal medicine, complications of extremely preterm infants continue to constitute the major adverse outcomes in neonatal intensive care unit. Human umbilical cord Wharton’s Jellyderived mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) may offer new hope for the treatment of intractable neonatal disorders. This study will explore the functional differences of HUMSCs between extremely preterm and term infants. METHODS: UMSCs from 5 extremely preterm infants(weeks of gestation: 22+5 w,24+4 w,25+3 w,26 w,28 w) and 2 term infants(39 w,39+2 w) were isolated, and mesenchymal markers, pluripotent genes, proliferation rate were analyzed.HUVECs were injured by treated with LPS and repaired by co-cultured with HUMSCs of different gestational ages. RESULTS: All HUMSCs showed fibroblast-like adherence to plastic and positively expressed surface marker of CD105,CD73 and CD90, but did not expressed CD45,CD34,CD14,CD79a and HLA-DR; HUMSCs in extremely preterm exhibited significant increase in proliferation as evidenced by CCK8, pluripotency markers OCT-4 tested by RT-PCR also showed increase. Above all, in LPS induced co-cultured inflame systerm, HUMSCs in extremely preterm were more capable to promote wound healing and tube formation in HUVEC cultures, they promoted TGFb1 expression and inhibited IL6 expression. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that HUMSCs from extremely preterm infants may be more suitable as candidates in cell therapy for the preterm infants.