Ibrutinib suppresses LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses in BV2 microglial cells and wild-type mice

Background: The FDA-approved small-molecule drug ibrutinib is an effective targeted therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Ibrutinib inhibits Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), a kinase involved in B cell receptor signaling. However, the potential regulation of neuroinflammatory responses in the brain by ibrutinib has not been comprehensively examined.

Methods: BV2 microglial cells were treated with ibrutinib (1 μM) or vehicle (1% DMSO), followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 μg/ml) or PBS. RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and subcellular fractionation were performed to examine the effects of ibrutinib on neuroinflammatory responses. In addition, wild-type mice were sequentially injected with ibrutinib (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle (10% DMSO, i.p.), followed by LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or PBS, and microglial and astrocyte activations were assessed using immunohistochemistry.

Results: Ibrutinib significantly reduced LPS-induced increases in proinflammatory cytokine levels in BV2 microglial and primary microglial cells but not in primary astrocytes. Ibrutinib regulated TLR4 signaling to alter LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine levels. In addition, ibrutinib significantly decreased LPS-induced increases in p-AKT and p-STAT3 levels, suggesting that ibrutinib attenuates LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses by inhibiting Akt/STAT3 signaling pathways. Interestingly, ibrutinib also reduced LPS-induced BV2 microglial cell migration by inhibiting Akt signaling. Moreover, ibrutinib-injected wild-type mice exhibited significantly reduced microglial/astrocyte activation and COX-2 and IL-1β proinflammatory cytokine levels.

Conclusions: Our data provide insights on the mechanisms of a potential therapeutic strategy for neuroinflammation-related diseases.

AKT; LPS; Microglia; Neuroinflammation; STAT3.