Fig. 4

Microglia and astrocytes are altered in WMI. (A-J) Iba1 immunostaining (red) and nuclear counterstaining with DAPI was performed. (A–C) Examples demonstrating the distribution and morphology of microglia in the germinal matrix (A-B) and in the white matter (C-D) in non-injured tissue. (E-J) Representative immunofluorescence images demonstrating microglia in white matter having ramified morphology in control, amoeboid morphology in WMI, and ramified to intermediate morphology in GMH. (K) The numbers of Iba1⁺ cells in the white matter. (L) The numbers of amoeboid Iba1⁺ cells in the white matter. (M-V) Immunostaining with the astrocyte marker GFAP (red) and nuclear counterstaining with DAPI. (M–P) Images showing the distribution and morphology of astrocytes in non-injured tissue in the germinal matrix (M–N) and white matter (O–P). (Q–V) Representative images showing GFAP⁺ astrocytes in the white matter having stellate morphology in controls, while having different degrees of reactive morphology in WMI and GMH. (W) The numbers of GFAP⁺ cells in the white matter. Scale bars: (A and C) = 200 µm, (B and D) = 25 µm, (E, G, and I) = 50 µm, (F, H, and J) = 25 µm, (M and O) = 200 µm, (N and P) = 25 µm, (Q, S, and U) = 50 µm, (R, T, and V) = 25 µm