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Fig. 5 | Journal of Neuroinflammation

Fig. 5

From: Lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in the neurovascular unit in the preterm fetal sheep brain

Fig. 5

Schematic representation of the neurovascular unit in the saline control and LPS-exposed preterm sheep brain. The left-hand panel illustrates the components of the NVU in the normal brain. The cerebral vascular endothelium is intact and connected by tight junctions. Pericytes surround the vascular endothelium and astrocytes surround the pericytes and vascular endothelium. Resident neurons and microglia are present in the resting state. The right-hand panel schematically illustrates the effects of prolonged LPS exposure on the components of the NVU examined in the current study. The findings of the study are highlighted in the orange boxes. Systemic infusions of LPS resulted in reductions in the basal lamina and in the perivascular pericyte microvascular coverage, reactive astrogliosis, reductions in perivascular astrocytic microvascular coverage in white matter, and increases in activation of microglia. We speculate that these changes may predispose to impaired brain development after premature birth

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