title: Specific in vivo staining of astrocytes in the whole brain after intravenous injection of sulforhodamine dyes.
abstract: Fluorescent staining of astrocytes without damaging or interfering with normal brain functions is essential for intravital microscopy studies. Current methods involved either transgenic mice or local intracerebral injection of sulforhodamine 101. Transgenic rat models rarely exist, and in mice, a backcross with GFAP transgenic mice may be difficult. Local injections of fluorescent dyes are invasive. Here, we propose a non-invasive, specific and ubiquitous method to stain astrocytes in vivo. This method is based on iv injection of sulforhodamine dyes and is applicable on rats and mice from postnatal age to adulthood. The astrocytes staining obtained after iv injection was maintained for nearly half a day and showed no adverse reaction on astrocytic calcium signals or electroencephalographic recordings in vivo. The high contrast of the staining facilitates the image processing and allows to quantify 3D morphological parameters of the astrocytes and to characterize their network. Our method may become a reference for in vivo staining of the whole astrocytes population in animal models of neurological disorders.
authors.affiliation: Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, Inserm U836, Grenoble, France. florence.appaix@ujf-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Appaix
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Girod
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boisseau
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Römer
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vial
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albrieux
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurin
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Depaulis
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guillemain
authors.forename: Boudewijn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van der Sanden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D001921:Brain / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects; D004569:Electroencephalography; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D012235:Rhodamines; C050829:sulforhodamine 101