Fig. 4

Microglial depletion with PLX3397 diet significantly decreased CMH in CKD mice. A Experimental timeline. To achieve microglial depletion in CKD mice, aged (17 months) C57BL/6J mice were placed on PLX3397 diet (PLX, 290 mg/kg in regular chow) for 3 weeks after completion of the second adenine exposure. B Mice with adenine-induced CKD showed significantly higher serum creatinine levels (mg/dL) compared with CTL mice regardless of microglial depletion. C Representative images of Iba-1 immunohistochemical staining in the cortex from CTL and CKD mice with or without microglial depletion, showing D Iba-1 immunoreactive area was significantly lower in CTL and CKD mice after microglial depletion. E Representative images of Prussian blue-positive lesions in the subcortex from CTL and CKD mice with or without microglial depletion, showing F CMH formation in CKD mice was significantly decreased after microglial depletion. Scale bar = 100 μm. Data shown are mean ± SEM. n = 10 in NonPLX–CTL group, 10 in PLX–CTL group, 36 in NonPLX–CKD group, and 25 in PLX–CKD group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001