Aging and MPTP-sensitivity depend on molecular and ultrastructural signatures of astroglia and microglia in mice substantia nigra (original) (raw)

ABSTRACTBoth astroglia and microglia show region-specific distribution in CNS and often maladapt to age-associated alterations within their niche. Studies on autopsied substantia nigra (SN) of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and experimental models propose gliosis as a trigger for neuronal loss. Epidemiological studies propose an ethnic bias in PD prevalence, since Caucasians are more susceptible than non-whites. Similarly, different mice strains are variably sensitive to MPTP. We had earlier likened divergent MPTP-sensitivity of C57BL/6J and CD-1 mice with differential susceptibility to PD, based on the numbers of SN neurons.Here, we examined whether the variability was incumbent to inter-strain differences in glial features of male C57BL/6J and CD-1 mice. Stereological counts showed relatively more microglia and fewer astrocytes in the SN of normal C57BL/6J mice, suggesting persistence of an immune-vigilant state. MPTP-induced microgliosis and astrogliosis in both strains, sugge...