title: Latex beads phagocytosis capacity and ecto-NAD+ glycohydrolase activity of rat brain microglia cells in vitro.
abstract: Conditions are described which allow the preparation in vitro of pure (greater than 95%) microglial cell cultures isolated from newborn rat brain. Such ameboid cells cultivated in vitro can efficiently phagocytize opsonized latex beads and are capable of ingesting more (100-200 beads of 1.1 micron diameter per cell) and larger (6.4 microns) particles than other nerve cells, such as oligodendrocytes and astroglia. The microglial cells also show an important ecto-NAD+ glycohydrolase activity which is characteristic of phagocytic cells. We noted that the phagocytic capacity and ecto-NAD+ glycohydrolase of these cells were correlated and increased notably during the in vitro culture. Microglia cultivated in vitro appear to be a good model to study the activation of phagocytic properties in the central nervous system and corresponding modulation by natural or pharmacological immunomodulators.
authors.affiliation: Departimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Scienze Biochimiche, Perugia, Italia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bocchini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rebel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Massarelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuber
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009244:NAD+ Nucleosidase; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D011137:Polystyrenes; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011137:Polystyrenes; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009244:NAD+ Nucleosidase