A key effector of the astrocyte neuroinflammatory response in neurodegenerative diseases is interleukin 6 (IL-6) (Zhao and Schwartz, 1998). Consistent with effects observed in primary human fetal astrocytes (Figure 3C), 24-hr treatment with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) (50 ng/mL or 100 ng/mL), LPS (10 μg/mL or 50 μg/mL), and β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42) (5 μM or 10 μM) led to dose-dependent increases in IL-6 secretion in control hiPSC-astrocytes (Figure 3D), but not the source hiPSC-derived NPCs (Figure 3C).
