Fig. 8

Schematic diagram demonstrating that microglia induce the transformation of A1/A2 reactive astrocytes via the CXCR7/PI3K/Akt pathway. During the development of CPSP, microglia are activated first and secrete cytokines such as IL-1α, TNF-α, and C1q, which leads to the downregulation of the CXCR7 receptor and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and activate astrocytes, inducing an increase in A1 astrocytes and a decrease in A2 astrocytes. There are other receptors and signaling pathways related to the imbalance in the polarization of astrocytes toward the A1 phenotype during chronic pain, which requires further study