Histamine H(2) receptor negatively regulates oligodendrocyte differentiation in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic white matter injury

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) with the pathological characteristic of white matter injury often leads to lifelong cognitive and neurobehavioral dysfunction, but relevant therapies to promote remyelination are still unavailable. We found that histamine H(2) receptor (H(2)R) negatively regulated the oligodendrocyte differentiation rate without affecting the oligodendrocytes at the oligodendrocyte precursor cell stage or mature stage following oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro. Notably, selective deletion of the H(2)R gene (Hrh2) in differentiating oligodendrocytes (Hrh2(fl/fl);CNPase-Cre) improved their differentiation, remyelination, and functional recovery following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in mice. The regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation by H(2)R is mediated by binding with Axin2, which leads to up-regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Furthermore, H(2)R antagonists also promoted oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination and the recovery of cognition and motor functions following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. Thus, histamine H(2)R in oligodendrocytes could serve as a novel and effective therapeutic target for the retard of oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. The H(2)R antagonists may have potential therapeutic value for neonatal HIE.