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Microglia-derived extracellular vesicles mediate fine particulate matter-induced Alzheimer's disease-like behaviors through the miR-34a-5p/DUSP10/p-p38 MAPK pathway
Ling Wang, Yi Lin, Ziyi Yang, Ke Zhang, Hongyang Gong, Yaopeng Zheng, Binquan Wang, Xiaoyan Zhang et al.. Journal of hazardous materials, 2025-06-06
Topic: Air pollution and environmental exposures
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a major component of air pollution, poses significant global health risks. Epidemiological studies have correlated long-term PM2.5 exposure and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are recognized as critical mediators of intercellular communication. Understanding the role of microglia EVs in neuronal dysfunction is essential, given the increasing awareness of non-cell-autonomous neurotoxicity. The mechanisms through which microglia and their EVs mediate PM2.5-induced neurotoxicity are poorly understood. This study demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure drives microglial toward the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, impairing the brain's immune defenses. PM2.5-treated microglia secrete miR-34a-5p-enriched EVs. These EVs are delivered to neurons, target DUSP10, activate the p-p38 MAPK pathway, increase aberrant tau phosphorylation and pathological Aβ proteins, and induce neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus and cortical regions. These pathological changes contribute to cognitive and behavioral deficits in PM2.5-exposed mice. Knocking down miR-34a-5p in EVs from PM2.5-treated microglia rescued these phenotypes, mitigating AD-like pathology in mice. Our study identified miR-34a-5p as a critical regulator of neuro apoptosis and AD-like cognitive impairment induced by PM2.5 exposure. These findings underscore the pivotal role of microglial EVs in mediating intercellular communication between glia and neurons, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying PM2.5-induced neurotoxicity.
Key findings
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a major component of air pollution, poses significant global health risks.
- This study demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure drives microglial toward the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype, impairing the brain's immune defenses.
- These findings underscore the pivotal role of microglial EVs in mediating intercellular communication between glia and neurons, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying PM2.5-induced neurotoxicity.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of hazardous materials) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40494244) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Wang, L., Lin, Y., Yang, Z., Zhang, K., Gong, H., Zheng, Y., et al. (2025). Microglia-derived extracellular vesicles mediate fine particulate matter-induced Alzheimer's disease-like behaviors through the miR-34a-5p/DUSP10/p-p38 MAPK pathway. Journal of hazardous materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138853
Vancouver
Wang L, Lin Y, Yang Z, Zhang K, Gong H, Zheng Y, et al. Microglia-derived extracellular vesicles mediate fine particulate matter-induced Alzheimer's disease-like behaviors through the miR-34a-5p/DUSP10/p-p38 MAPK pathway. Journal of hazardous materials. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138853. PMID: 40494244.
BibTeX
@article{wang2025-40494244,
author = {Wang, Ling and Lin, Yi and Yang, Ziyi and Zhang, Ke and Gong, Hongyang and Zheng, Yaopeng and Wang, Binquan and Zhang, Xiaoyan and others},
title = {{Microglia-derived extracellular vesicles mediate fine particulate matter-induced Alzheimer's disease-like behaviors through the miR-34a-5p/DUSP10/p-p38 MAPK pathway}},
journal = {Journal of hazardous materials},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138853},
pmid = {40494244},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138853}
}
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