Fig. 7Figure 7
Microglial depletion rescued cognitive dysfunction and ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors in SIN rats. A The schedule of the second experiment. We used chow with PLX3397 to feed rats for 21 days, depleting the microglial population. B iba1 (green) positive microglia were sharply depleted in the hippocampus after PLX3397 treatment. Scale bar = 200 μm. C PLX3397 treatment effectively eliminated microglial marker-iba1 expression in the hippocampus. D Statistical chart of iba1 expression between both groups ( n = 4 per group). E, F Microglial depletion rescued cognitive dysfunction of SIN rats ( n = 7 per group). In MWM, microglial depletion increased the number and time of entering the platform quadrant of SIN rats. G, H Microglial depletion ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors of SIN rats ( n = 7 per group). In the OPF test, microglial depletion increased the time and number of entering the central zone of SIN rats. I, J Microglial depletion ameliorated anxiety-like behavi