Inflamed brain immune cells use sugar for energy, hold onto iron, and are common in Alzheimer’s model mice

Primary microglia polarized with IFNγ showed a distinct increase in glycolysis associated with higher tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) expression.

• Inflammatory microglia exhibited characteristic increases in TNFα and nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) when polarized with IFNγ.
• Glycolysis was found to be the main energy source for these polarized microglia, indicated by increased expression of the enzyme PFKFB3.
• Increased intracellular iron retention in microglia was associated with elevated TNFα expression and enhanced glycolysis.
• Transgenic APP/PS1 mice displayed genotype-related increases in glycolysis and ferritin expression compared to wildtype mice.
• The findings suggest that inflammatory microglia have a unique metabolic signature that includes distinct iron handling profiles.

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