bims-migras 2026-08-16 papers

Issue of 2026–08–16
two papers selected by
Cliff Dominy

Curr Neuropharmacol. 2026 Jul 30.

Dysfunctional Crosstalk in Ischemic Stroke: Exploring Network Failure and Emerging Communication Pathways.

Song Wang, Yitong Du, Sichen Wang, Yuhan Sun, Jingyi Yao, Dan Xie.

Ischemic stroke damages complex, interconnected communication networks in addition to causing the destructive collapse of cells. All elements of the neurovascular unit (NVU), including the often disregarded glycocalyx and invading peripheral immune cells, interact dynamically and frequently contradict one another in their pathophysiological processes, which extend beyond neurons. This paper reviews developments in intercellular communication pathways that regulate brain injury and repair after cerebral ischemia. The intricate signaling networks among neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, endothelial cells, pericytes, and lymphocytes were comprehensively analyzed. This review goes beyond conventional viewpoints to highlight major findings, ongoing debates, and critical research gaps associated with each interaction. This study investigated the dual nature of glial responses by analyzing diverse activation states of glial cells, the mechanisms underlying blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, including glycocalyx degradation, and the complex immunoregulatory roles of lymphocyte subsets, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), regulatory B cells (Bregs), and γδ T cells. In addition to classical soluble factor signaling, emerging communication mechanisms, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), and migrasomes, were investigated, and these mechanisms may be involved in ischemic pathophysiology. Contradictory data and mechanistic evidence were assessed for every communication pathway; knowledge gaps were identified, and specific experiments were proposed to resolve these uncertainties. Finally, these observations were integrated into a discussion of advanced therapeutic approaches based on network modulation. This review offers a potential framework for discovering new system-based treatment targets targeted at rewiring harmful crosstalk and fostering strong neurological recovery by characterizing ischemic stroke as a progressive failure of intercellular communication.

Keywords: Cerebral ischemia; extracellular vesi-cles; glycocalyx; immune cells; intercellular communication; migrasome; neuroinflammation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/011570159X460709260721113119

Innovation (Camb). 2026 Aug 03. 7(8): 101319

Far-red-emitting Nile red with boosted solvatochromism enables multidimensional imaging of membrane heterogeneity and dynamics.

Mingqiao Liu, Yunzhe Fu, Xiaopeng Li, Haolin Zhang, Yumiao Ma, Meiqi Li, Chunyan Shan, Hongxi Zheng, Xiaoyi Lu, Yan Zhang, Li Yu, Peng Xi, Zhixing Chen.

The heterogeneity of lipid membranes plays an essential role in regulating the biological functions of organelles. As a solvatochromic probe, Nile red exhibits optical responses to varying membrane environments; however, its limited solvatochromism restricts its ability to detect subtle changes in membrane polarity and lipid order. In this work, we rationally design the auxochrome of Nile red by incorporating an oxygenated julolidine moiety and develop oxygenated julolidine-based Nile red (JONR), which exhibits significantly enhanced sensitivity to environmental polarity, along with strong fluorogenicity from protic to aprotic solvents, large Stokes shifts, and far-red emission in polar environments. Compared to Nile red, JONR demonstrates 3-fold greater accuracy in identifying various organelles in live cells and enables real-time tracking of their dynamic interactions through ratiometric imaging. Furthermore, JONR can distinguish lipid environments through polarization modulation depth and fluorescence lifetime variations. By integrating these properties with its superior spectral response, we present the first comprehensive mapping of subtle lipid heterogeneity within migration-associated structures in L929 cells. The high sensitivity to subtle differences in lipid environments of JONR enables fine resolution of subcellular membrane structures in live cells and provides a new approach for high-throughput analysis of intracellular microenvironments.

Keywords: environment-sensitive probe; fluorescence imaging; membrane heterogeneity; migrasome; spectrum and polarization optical tomography

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2026.101319