Fig. 11
Malva parviflora hydroalcoholic extract regulates the phagocytic capacity of microglial cells via PPARγ-CD36 mediated mechanism in the 5xFAD transgenic mice. a Graphical time line of the study design and experimental procedures. The 5XFAD transgenic mice received 50 mg/kg/day of the MpHE (Mp) or water (Vehicle) intragastrically during 2 months. After, the mice were intraperitoneally (IP) injected with GW9662 (5 mg/kg), a specific PPAR-γ inhibitor, or vehicle (5% DMSO/95%PBS) for the last 3 days before sacrifice. For the in vivo amyloid β phagocytosis assay, mice were intraperitoneally injected 6 h before sacrifice with methoxy-X04 (10 mg/kg). The presence of Aβ peptides in the microglial cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. b CD36 expression in microglia (CD11b+) from 5XFAD transgenic mice untreated (Vehicle) or treated with MpHE alone (M. parviflora) or with MpHE and GW9662 (M. parviflora+GW9662) determined by flow cytometry. Left panel: A representative histogram depicts CD36 expression in the CD11b+ cells from 5XFAD transgenic brain. Middle panel: % of the CD11b+/CD36+ cells. Data (mean ± SD) were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Percentage CD11b+/CD36+ 5XFAD vehicle vs 5XFAD Mp (*p = 0.0298); 5XFAD Mp vs 5XFAD Mp + GW9662 (*p = 0.0291). Right panel: CD36 expression levels. MFI CD11b+/CD36+ 5XFAD Vehicle vs 5XFAD Mp (*p = 0.0228). c Left panel: cytometry analysis of Aβ peptides phagocytized by microglia (CD11b+/CD36+) from adult 5XFAD mice untreated (Vehicle) alone (M. parviflora) or with MpHE and GW9662 (M. parviflora+GW9662) that received methoxy-X04 (M-X04). Left panel: representative histogram is shown. Middle panel: percent of the CD36+/M-X04+ cells data (mean ± SD) were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Percentage CD36+/Methoxy-X04+ 5XFAD vehicle vs 5XFAD Mp (**p = 0.0089); 5XFAD Mp vs 5XFAD Mp + GW9662 (**p = 0.0069). Right panel: phagocyted M-XO4 levels. MFI CD36+/Methoxy-X04 5XFAD Vehicle vs 5XFAD Mp (**p = 0.0047); 5XFAD Mp vs. 5XFAD Mp + GW9662 (**p = 0.0054)