Spinal AT1R contributes to neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain via NOX2-dependent redox signaling in microglia

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation demonstrates a crucial act in the progression of neuropathic pain. Oxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase (NOX) in microglia drives proinflammatory microglia activation. Recent evidence points to the central renin angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, with the angiotensin converting enzyme/angiotensin II/angiotensin receptor-1 (ACE/Ang II/AT1R) axis promoting inflammation through increased ROS production, counteracted by the ACE2/Ang (1–7)/Mas receptor (MasR) axis. While interventions targeting spinal AT1R have been shown to alleviate nociceptive hypersensitivity; yet the mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we discovered that spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced mechanical allodynia in rats were associated with M1-like microglia activation, oxidative stress and overactivity of ACE/Ang II/AT1R axis in the spinal cord. Increased AT1R and NOX2 expression were observed in activated dorsal horn microglia following SNI. Blockade of AT1R with losartan potassium (LOP) suppressed NOX2-mediated oxidative stress, and promoted a shift in microglia from the proinflammatory M1 phenotype to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in LPS-treated BV-2 cells. Additionally, NOX2 overexpression triggered the activation of the high-mobility group box 1/nuclear factor-kappa B (HMGB1/NF-κB) signaling pathway. Intrathecal administration of LOP effectively inhibited SNI-induced NOX2 overactivation in microglia and suppressed the HMGB1/NF-kB pathway, reducing oxidative stress and shifting the microglia polarization from M1 to M2 in the spinal cord, thereby attenuating neuroinflammation and pain hypersensitivity. Collectively, these findings underscore the neuroimmune-modulating effects of spinal AT1R in neuropathic pain, highlighting the regulation of redox homeostasis in microglia via a NOX2 dependent mechanism.