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A hypothesis-driven perspective on GLP-1R-β-catenin pathway crosstalk in astrocyte plasticity and endogenous neural repair - 07/11/26

Doi : 10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119946 
Sudichhya Tamrakar a , Laurence S. Pe a , Jiraporn Panmanee a , Jenq-Lin Yang b, ⁎ , Sujira Mukda a, ⁎
a Research Center for Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand 
b Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 

⁎ Corresponding author. ⁎⁎ Correspondence to: Research Center for Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand. Research Center for Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University Salaya Nakhon Pathom 73170 Thailand

Abstract

Astrocytes exhibit pronounced, context-dependent plasticity following central nervous system (CNS) injury; however, their capacity for fate remodeling remains constrained by chromatin architecture, lineage-stabilizing signaling networks, inflammatory and metabolic states, and disease context. Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling has emerged as a context-sensitive regulator of astrocyte transcriptional competence through modulation of chromatin accessibility, enhancer activation, and progenitor-associated programs. However, Wnt activation alone appears insufficient to induce stable astrocyte-to-neuron conversion and should be interpreted within a broader intracellular signaling network. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, including exendin-4, exert neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic effects in neurological disease models. GLP-1R activation engages PI3K/Akt and cAMP/PKA signaling, which may intersect with regulatory mechanisms controlling β-catenin stability and transcriptional activity. However, many GLP-1R-mediated effects can also be explained through β-catenin-independent mechanisms involving inflammatory regulation, mitochondrial homeostasis, neurotrophic support, and cellular stress responses. We propose that exendin-4 may function as a permissive modulator rather than a deterministic driver of astrocyte fate remodeling. Importantly, this framework is derived predominantly from indirect evidence, may involve astrocyte-autonomous or non-autonomous mechanisms, and currently lacks direct astrocyte-specific validation. Future studies integrating receptor-expression mapping, pharmacokinetic assessment, lineage tracing, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, epigenomic profiling, and functional analysis will be essential to determine whether pharmacological modulation of permissive signaling states can contribute to endogenous neural repair.

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Graphical Abstract




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In CNS injury and neurodegenerative conditions, reactive astrocytes exist within a non-permissive tissue environment associated with neuronal dysfunction, inflammation, and metabolic stress. This model proposes that GLP-1R activation by exendin-4 may interact with β-catenin-associated signaling and other stress-adaptive pathways to enhance transcriptional competence, metabolic resilience, and plasticity-associated astrocyte states, rather than directly inducing astrocyte-to-neuron conversion. Potential downstream consequences include reduced inflammatory stress, increased chromatin permissiveness, and improved repair-supportive conditions. These proposed effects remain hypothetical and require validation by lineage tracing, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, epigenomic profiling, electrophysiological analysis, and functional recovery studies. Created in BioRender. Mukda, S. (2026) ( yi403ti) is licensed under CC BY 4.0.


In CNS injury and neurodegenerative conditions, reactive astrocytes exist within a non-permissive tissue environment associated with neuronal dysfunction, inflammation, and metabolic stress. This model proposes that GLP-1R activation by exendin-4 may interact with β-catenin-associated signaling and other stress-adaptive pathways to enhance transcriptional competence, metabolic resilience, and plasticity-associated astrocyte states, rather than directly inducing astrocyte-to-neuron conversion. Potential downstream consequences include reduced inflammatory stress, increased chromatin permissiveness, and improved repair-supportive conditions. These proposed effects remain hypothetical and require validation by lineage tracing, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, epigenomic profiling, electrophysiological analysis, and functional recovery studies. Created in BioRender. Mukda, S. (2026) ( https://BioRender.com/yi403ti) is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.

Highlights

•
Astrocyte plasticity is regulated by context-dependent signaling states.
•
Wnt/β-catenin may regulate transcriptional competence in astrocytes.
•
GLP-1R may influence β-catenin-linked signaling nodes.
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Exendin-4 may support permissive, stress-adaptive repair states.
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Astrocyte-specific and pharmacokinetic validation remain essential.

Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.

Keywords : Astrocyte plasticity, GLP-1 receptor, Exendin-4, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Neural repair, Epigenetic regulation


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Vol 204

Article 119946- novembre 2026 Retour au numéro
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