Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Methods Mol Biol. 2025;2857:159-167. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-4128-6_15.
Microglia and astrocytes are the main components of the central nervous system (CNS). Upon activation, microglia is able to phagocyte cell debris, pathogens, and toxins; astrocytes support neuronal functions, blood-brain barrier (BBB) homeostasis, and neurotransmitter uptake and metabolism. Furthermore, both cell types can produce cytokines and chemokines. Aging impacts microglia and astrocytes by promoting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, impairing microglial phagocytosis and motility and astrocyte glutamate uptake. During neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, the aging process may be accelerated contributing to the alteration of CNS glial cells functions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, demyelinating disease in which immunosenescence can promote the conversion from relapsing-remitting form to progressive disease. The murine model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) allows to investigate MS pathogenesis. Furthermore, EAE can be developed as acute or progressive, mimicking different forms of human MS. Microglia and astrocytes report morphological and functional changes during neuroinflammation that can be investigated in different ways. We here present a protocol for the study of glial cell activation in the spinal cord tissue of EAE mice.
小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞是中枢神经系统 (CNS) 的主要组成部分。在被激活后，小胶质细胞能够吞噬细胞碎片、病原体和毒素；星形胶质细胞支持神经元功能、血脑屏障 (BBB) 稳态以及神经递质的摄取和代谢。此外，这两种细胞类型都可以产生细胞因子和趋化因子。衰老通过促进促炎细胞因子的产生、损害小胶质细胞的吞噬作用和运动以及星形胶质细胞谷氨酸摄取来影响小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞。在神经退行性和神经炎症性疾病中，衰老过程可能会加速，导致中枢神经系统胶质细胞功能发生改变。多发性硬化症 (MS) 是一种自身免疫性脱髓鞘疾病，免疫衰老可促进从缓解复发型向进行性疾病的转变。实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎 (EAE) 的小鼠模型可用于研究 MS 的发病机制。此外，EAE 可分为急性或进行性，模拟人类 MS 的不同形式。小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞在神经炎症期间会发生形态和功能上的变化，可以通过多种方式进行研究。在这里，我们提出了一种在 EAE 小鼠脊髓组织中研究神经胶质细胞激活的方案。
