Responses of Macrophages and Satellite Glial Cells in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglia to Parenteral Administration of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide

Inflammation is an important link in the pathogenesis of numerous pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. The effects of experimental systemic inflammation on intercellular interactions in the central nervous system are widely studied, while reactive changes caused by the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the organs of the peripheral nervous system, including dorsal root ganglia, are investigated less intensively. The aim of this study was to evaluate reactive morphofunctional alterations in satellite glial cells (SGCs) and macrophages of the rat dorsal root ganglia in response to experimental systemic inflammation. For immunohistochemical detection of macrophages, antibodies to the Iba-1 protein were used; as an immunohistochemical marker of activated SGCs, antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were applied. The obtained results indicate a dose-dependent activation of SGCs and macrophages: a higher LPS dose activates SGCs to a greater extent, while a lower LPS dose leads to more intensive macrophage activation.