Bilateral activation of glial cells in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis after unilateral infraorbital nerve injury
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| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Peripheral nerve injury leads to activation of microglia and astrocytes in the spinal cord. The activated glial cells contribute to increased excitation of neurons and neuropathic pain induction and maintenance. The goal of our work was to investigate bilateral activation of astrocytes and microglia in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (TSC) following unilateral ligature of the infraorbital nerve (IONL). Wistar rats (males, 270g) were operated on unilateral IONL (n=12) and allowed to survive for 3 (n=6) and 7 (n=6) days. Naive (n=4) and sham-operated rats (n=4) were used as control. Immunofluorescence staining of brainstem sections for GFAP and OX-42 were used for detection of activated astrocytes and microglial cells, respectively. A part of brainstem sections was simultaneously incubated with anti-NeuN antibody to visualize neurons. The quantitative evaluation of GFAP and OX-42 staining was performed using image analysis system Lucia. In comparison to naive TSC, increased GFAP and OX-24 immunofluorescence brightness and its extent were found bilaterally in TSC of rats operated on IONL. Expression of GFAP and OX-24 indicating activated astrocytes and microglia was lower in contralateral than ipsilateral TSC. The TSC of sham-operated rats displayed also increased GFAP and OX-24 immunofluorescence brightness when compared with TSC from naive rats. Bilateral activation of astrocytes and microglia in the TSC following unilateral IONL leads to propagation of neuroinflammation and development of conditions for neuropathic pain induction. |
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