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Table 1 Absolute ultrastructural analysis of typical astrocytes far from Aß plaques/dystrophic neurites and in aged APP-PS1 mice compared to age-matched C57BL/6 mice in the stratum radiatum of the ventral hippocampus CA1

From: Astrocytes display ultrastructural alterations and heterogeneity in the hippocampus of aged APP-PS1 mice and human post-mortem brain samples

 

Control

Mean ± SEM

(Min–Max)

AD

Mean ± SEM

(Min–Max)

Primary lysosomes (n)

1.179 ± 0.2523

(0.000–5.000)

0.6129 ± 0.1950

(0.000–4.000)

Secondary lysosomes (n)

1.607 ± 0.4435

(0.000–10.00)

1.032 ± 0.2475

(0.000–5.000)

Tertiary lysosomes (n)

1.464 ± 0.3313

(0.000–6.000)

2.742 ± 0.3934 *

(0.000–8.000)

All lysosomes (n)

4.179 ± 0.6384

(0.000–12.00)

4.032 ± 0.5893

(0.000–12.00)

Lipid bodies (n)

1.429 ± 0.4224

(0.000–11.00)

4.161 ± 0.7706 ***

(0.000–19.00)

Altered mitochondria (n)

2.356 ± 0.2780

(0.000–6.000)

2.387 ± 0.2847

(0.000–6.000)

Elongated mitochondria (n)

3.286 ± 0.4903

(0.000–10.00)

3.419 ± 0.5283

(0.000–11.00)

Partially digested phagosomes (n)

2.857 ± 0.5213

(0.000–12.00)

3.710 ± 0.5230

(0.000–11.00)

Fully digested phagosomes (n)

2.929 ± 0.4482

(0.000–7.000)

4.258 ± 0.7139

(0.000–14.00)

All phagosomes (n)

5.786 ± 0.7226

(0.000–15.00)

7.968 ± 1.160

(0.000–24.00)

Association with myelinated axons (n)

1.464 ± 0.4755

(0.000–9.000)

1.065 ± 0.3437

(0.000–9.000)

Axon terminals (n)

16.25 ± 1.729

(4.000–42.00)

22.29 ± 2.089 *

(6.000–43.00)

Dendritic spines (n)

1.429 ± 0.2020

(0.000–4.000)

2.194 ± 0.2384 *

(0.000–4.000)

All synaptic contacts (n)

20.68 ± 2.244

(0.000–54.00)

29.06 ± 2.587 *

(8.000–54.00)

Dilated ER (n)

4.143 ± 0.5767

(1.000–13.00)

5.129 ± 0.6255

(0.000–16.00)

Autophagosomes (n)

0.5000 ± 0.1585

(0.000–3.000)

0.7742 ± 0.1518

(0.000–3.000)

Cell area (µm2)

57.65 ± 3.380

(35.58–107.1)

64.01 ± 5.421

(26.18–160.1)

Cytoplasm area (µm2)

31.31 ± 3.143

(12.81–84.33)

38.54 ± 4.795

(9.553–142.5)

Nucleus area (µm2)

26.34 ± 1.598

(10.05–41.75)

25.47 ± 1.973

(8.942–53.39)

Cell perimeter (µm)

62.65 ± 3.603

(33.26–111.6)

66.83 ± 3.841

(27.89–104.0)

Nucleus perimeter (µm)

21.80 ± 1.036

(12.30–36.71)

20.65 ± 0.9511

(12.01–28.53)

Circularity (a.u.)

0.2114 ± 0.01728

(0.08100–0.4420)

0.1977 ± 0.01601

(0.08200–0.4680)

AR (a.u.)

2.178 ± 0.1097

(1.163–3.610)

2.467 ± 0.1657

(1.206–4.273)

Solidity (a.u.)

0.6219 ± 0.02208

(0.4170–0.8290)

0.6157 ± 0.02169

(0.3600–0.8690)

  1. n number, a.u. arbitrary unit, ER endoplasmic reticulum, and p-values of statistically significant tests are highlighted with an asterisk symbol
  2. Data reported are shown as number per cell and expressed as means ± SEM in addition to the minimum and maximum value obtained
  3. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001 using a non-parametric Mann–Whitney test. Statistical tests were performed on n = 8–11 astrocytes per animal in N = 3 mice/group, for a total of 59 cell bodies analyzed