Somatostatin-induced modulation of microglial activity contributes to mitigating Alzheimer's disease pathology

Abstract

Somatostatin (SST) is a neuropeptide widely expressed in the central nervous system, known to exert inhibitory effects through the activation of G protein-coupled somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). Although its synaptic and network-level functions have been implicated in various neurological disorders, the direct peptidergic actions of SST-particularly on microglia-remain poorly understood. Given that SST levels are reduced in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and that microglia predominantly express SSTR2, we hypothesized that SST modulates microglial function in both physiological and AD-related contexts. In this study, we demonstrate that SST treatment enhances phagocytic capacity and suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine release in cultured microglia. Furthermore, SST overexpression in an AD mouse model reduced microglial density and amyloid-beta plaque burden and improved hippocampus-dependent cognitive performance, indicating a protective effect mediated through microglial modulation. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role of SST in regulating microglial behavior and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting the SST-SSTR signaling axis in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.