Fig. 4

Increased iron content, microglia and TNF-α levels, but decreased BDNF expression were observed in the hippocampus of Hamp^GFAP cKO mice. A Iron contents in the hippocampus of 3-month-old Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice were detected by ICP-MS (n = 5). B–D Iron distribution in the brains of 3-month-old Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice were observed by Perl’s staining, and relative positive signals in the hippocampus (C) and DG region (D) were analyzed (n = 3 per group). E–F Representative blot image (E) and quantification (F) of the hippocampal FtL expression in 3-month-old Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice (n = 6 per group; β-actin as the internal reference). G, H Immunofluorescence staining images (G) and quantification (H) of relative FtL⁺ fluorescence intensity in the hippocampal DG of 3-month-old Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice (scale bar: 50 μm, n = 4 per group). I–L Immunofluorescence staining images of Iba1⁺ cells and quantifications in the hippocampal DG of 3-month-old (I, J) and 14-day-old (K, L) Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice (scale bar: 50 μm, n = 4 per group). M, N qRT-PCR quantification for detecting the mRNA levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in hippocampus of 3-month-old (M) and 14-day-old (N) Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice (n = 6 per group in M; n = 4 and 3 in N). O–Q Representative blot images (O) and quantification (P) of BDNF protein levels in the hippocampus of 3-month-old Hamp^GFAP cKO and control mice (n = 4 per group; β-actin as the internal reference), and qRT-PCR quantification of BDNF mRNA levels (Q, n = 6 per group). Data were expressed as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, and **p < 0.01