# Autophagy-mediated regulation of neutrophil inflammatory responses and its relevance to central nervous system diseases

## TL;DR

This review explains how autophagy controls neutrophil functions and how this process is linked to diseases of the central nervous system.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of autophagy's role in neutrophil biology and its relevance to CNS diseases.

## Key findings

- Autophagy regulates neutrophil functions like NETs formation, degranulation, and migration.
- Neutrophil autophagy is involved in Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, glioma, and bacterial meningitis.
- Targeting autophagy in neutrophils may offer new treatments for CNS disorders.

## Abstract

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system, which plays a crucial role in regulating the inflammatory functions of neutrophils. Neutrophils, as crucial immunological phagocytes, are integral to inflammatory responses. In central nervous system diseases, neutrophils’ malfunction is closely associated with disease progression. Autophagy in neutrophils is highly conserved and plays a crucial regulatory role in both the biological functions and pathophysiological processes of neutrophils. In this review, we comprehensively explore the mechanisms of autophagy and its regulatory roles in various aspects of neutrophil biology, including the neutrophil life cycle, extracellular net traps (NETs) formation, degranulation, migration and adhesion, and phagocytosis. We also analyze the role of neutrophil autophagy in different central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and neuroglioma. Regulating autophagy to control neutrophil inflammatory functions may emerge as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating central nervous system disorders.

Autophagy orchestrates the terminal differentiation, survival, and key inflammatory effector functions of neutrophils—including neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation, degranulation, chemotaxis/adhesion, and phagocytosis. The neutrophil inflammatory function related to autophagy plays a role in central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, glioma and bacterial meningitis. Drugs targeting neutrophil autophagy in the central nervous system have the potential for development and clinical application.Diagram illustrating the role of neutrophil autophagy in central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, neuroglioma, and bacterial meningitis. The circular diagram segments include extracellular traps, phagocytosis, migration, cell death, degranulation, and differentiation. An image of a brain with a highlighted area accompanies the text.

Autophagy orchestrates the terminal differentiation, survival, and key inflammatory effector functions of neutrophils—including neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation, degranulation, chemotaxis/adhesion, and phagocytosis. The neutrophil inflammatory function related to autophagy plays a role in central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, glioma and bacterial meningitis. Drugs targeting neutrophil autophagy in the central nervous system have the potential for development and clinical application.