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Vitamin E induces ramification and downregulation of adhesion molecules in cultured microglial cells
Author(s) -
Heppner Frank L.,
Roth Karl,
Nitsch Robert,
Hailer Nils P.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
glia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.954
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1098-1136
pISSN - 0894-1491
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-1136(199802)22:2<180::aid-glia9>3.0.co;2-b
Subject(s) - biology , microglia , major histocompatibility complex , cell adhesion molecule , microbiology and biotechnology , cell adhesion , ascorbic acid , neural cell adhesion molecule , antigen , immunology , cell , biochemistry , inflammation , food science
Microglial cells in the healthy adult CNS possess a characteristic ramified morphology and show little or no expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or adhesion molecules. In contrast, microglial cells isolated from newborn rat brains inevitably show a nonramified amoeboid morphology and express immunoeffector molecules, such as MHC class I and II, and various adhesion molecules thought to be markers of microglial activation. Furthermore, they produce large amounts of oxygen radicals. Treatment of cultured microglial cells with the antioxidants vitamin E (α‐tocopherol) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) induced a ramified microglial morphology after 48 h in vitro, otherwise only seen in healthy adult CNS tissue or in co‐culture with astrocytes. Morphological transformation of microglial cells was quantified by morphometric analysis and was found to be statistically significant. Ramification of microglia induced by vitamin E was accompanied by downregulated expression of adhesion molecules leukocyte function antigen‐1, very late antigen‐4, and intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, as assessed by FACS analysis and immunocytochemistry. Moreover, cell numbers of microglia treated with vitamin E remained stable within 7 days in vitro, whereas untreated controls showed a cell loss of 81.5%. These data show that vitamin E acts as a protective compound in dissociated microglial cell cultures. In conclusion, our results suggest that vitamin E and vitamin C shift microglial morphology toward ramification and induce an immunological deactivation. These changes seem to be mediated by oxidative mechanisms. GLIA 22:180–188, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.