Extracellular Vesicles From Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages Enriched in ARG1 Enhance Microglial Phagocytosis and Haematoma Clearance Following Intracerebral Haemorrhage

Abstract

Microglial phagocytosis of haematomas is crucial for neural functional recovery following intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), a process regulated by various factors from within and outside the central nervous system (CNS). Extracellular vesicles (EVs), significant mediators of intercellular communication, have been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of CNS diseases. However, the regulatory role of endogenous EVs on the phagocytic capacity of microglia post-ICH remains elusive. Utilising multi-omics analysis of brain tissue-derived EVs proteomics and single-cell RNA sequencing, this study identified that bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) potentially enhance microglial phagocytosis via EVs following ICH. By blocking BMDMs and reducing ARG1 in BMDM-derived EVs, we demonstrated that BMDMs facilitate erythrophagocytosis by delivering ARG1 to microglia via EVs post-ICH. EVs-carried ARG1 was found to augment phagocytosis by promoting RAC1-dependent cytoskeletal remodelling in microglia. Collectively, this research uncovers an intercellular communication pathway from BMDMs to microglia mediated by EVs post-ICH. This provides a novel paradigm for EV-mediated intercellular communication mechanisms and suggests a promising therapeutic potential for BMDM-derived EVs in the treatment of ICH.

Keywords: ARG1; BMDM; EVs; ICH; microglia; phagocytosis.