Research Progress on the Regulation of Microglia Function by Biological Clock
LI Xiangyu, XU Hui*
The biological clock is an internal system that autonomously generates rhythms with a cycle of approximately 24 h, regulating and coordinating various physiological activities, behavioral patterns, and metabolic processes. This system aligns the organism with the diurnal and nocturnal variations in the environment, thereby maintaining internal homeostasis and enhancing the organism’ s ability to adapt to external conditions. In the immune system of animals, the biological clock precisely regulates the quantity, activity, and function of immune cells, influencing their diurnal variations in inflammatory responses, modulating the temporal expression of immune-modulatory molecules, and impacting the formation, maintenance, and timing strategies for the treatment of immune-related diseases. Microglia, as key immune cells, play a critical role in innate immune responses through surveillance and regulation, and their activity and function are finely controlled by the biological clock mechanism. This article provides a review of recent advances in research on the regulation of microglial function by the biological clock.
CN
EN