Fig. 1From: Microglial activation by microbial neuraminidase through TLR2 and TLR4 receptorsIBA1 immunostaining and cell counts after NA-induced neuroinflammation in TLR2- or TLR4-deficient mice. Animals were ICV injected with saline or NA and sacrificed 24 h after the injection. The microglia located in the septofimbria (a–c, g–i) and the hypothalamus (d–f, j–l) was analyzed. Upon NA-injection, IBA1 staining of microglial cells increased in WT as well as in TLR2-/- and TLR4-/- mice (g–l). Besides, cells presented a less ramified morphology, except for those from TLR4-/- mice, where microglia appeared more ramified than that of WT or TLR2-/- mice. IBA1-positive cell counts (m–n) revealed an increase in microglial cells after NA-injection both in the septofimbria (m) and in the hypothalamus (n). However, such increase did not occur in the TLR4-/- strain, which presented IBA1-positive cell counts similar to those of the saline-treated controls. The histograms present the mean + SD of n = 3 saline injected or n = 9–10 NA-injected animals (for each strain). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparing group means. Letters a and b above bars indicate the absence (if the same letter appears) or presence (if different letters appear) of a statistical difference between groups (P < 0.001). SF = septofimbria; H = hypothalamus; Sal = saline treatment; NA = neuraminidase treatmentBack to article page