title: Rapid isolation and culture of primary microglia from adult mouse spinal cord.
abstract: Microglia are important in homeostasis and widely considered to have roles in the pathogenesis of conditions such as neuropathic pain and multiple sclerosis. The need to study microglia from the adult spinal cord is essential to further understand the role of these cells in disease pathology. Primary microglia are often prepared from brain tissues obtained from embryonic or perinatal age rodents and the process can take over a week to complete. The protocol in this study provides rapid isolation of microglia from adult spinal cord, allowing immediate availability for experimentation of both ex vivo and in vitro within a few hours. A purity of 99% with little or no neuronal or astrocytic contamination can be achieved. Between 70% and 85% of these adult microglia were in a relatively non-activated state. Functionally, these microglia respond to lipopolysaccharide incubation with increases in both phospho-p38 MAPK and OX42 immunostaining, as well as release of ATP, as compared to un-stimulated microglia. This technique provides a protocol to achieve rapid and efficient extraction of high purity, quiescent and functionally active microglia from adult mouse spinal cord, allowing greater study of adult spinal microglia in physiological and pathophysiological states.
authors: Neurorestoration Group, Wolfson CARD, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London Bridge, London SE1 1UL, UK. ping.yip@kcl.ac.uk
authors: Ping K
authors: PK
authors: Yip
authors: Timothy K Y
authors: TK
authors: Kaan
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Fenesan
authors: Marzia
authors: M
authors: Malcangio
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C491049:Aif1 protein, mouse; D039481:CD11b Antigen; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007211:Indoles; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C548577:P2ry12 protein, mouse; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12; D014404:Tubulin; C007293:DAPI; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases