Figure 4

Minocycline prevents hypoglycemia-induced neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 area. (A) Representative low-magnification images of surviving neurons in the hippocampus by minocycline treatment after hypoglycemia. Brain sections from sham-operated (Sham) or hypoglycemia experienced (Hypoglycemia) rats were immunostained with anti-NeuN. Scale bar = 500 μm. (B) Representative high magnification of surviving neurons in hippocampal CA1 area by minocycline treatment after hypoglycemia. Note that hypoglycemia-induced hippocampal CA1 neuronal death was protected by the delayed minocycline treatment. Scale bar = 40 μm. (C) Quantification of surviving neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area of rats treated by minocycline (MINO) or vehicle (Veh) after hypoglycemia. Data are mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM); *P < 0.05 compared with sham-operated animals, ^# P < 0.05 compared with hypoglycemia animals treated with saline (Veh) (n = 6). (D) Representative images of degenerating cells in the hippocampal CA1 area following minocycline (MINO) or saline (Vehicle) treatment after hypoglycemia. Brain sections were stained by Fluoro-Jade B (FJB). Note that minocycline reduced the number of FJB (+) cells in the hippocampal CA1 area after hypoglycemia. Scale bar = 40 μm. (E) Quantification of Fluoro-Jade B (+) cells in the hippocampal CA1 area from rats treated with minocycline after hypoglycemia. Data are mean ± SEM; *P < 0.05 compared with hypoglycemia-subjected rats treated with saline (n = 6).