CD200-CD200R imbalance correlates with microglia and pro-inflammatory activation in rat spinal cords exposed to amniotic fluid in retinoic acid-induced spina bifida.

ABSTRACT: Spina bifida aperta is a congenital malformation characterized by the failure of neural tube closure resulting in an unprotected fetal spinal cord. The spinal cord then undergoes progressive damage, likely due to chemical and mechanical factors related to exposure to the intrauterine environment. Astrogliosis in exposed spinal cords has been described in animal models of spina bifida during embryonic life but its relationship with neuroinflammatory processes are completely unknown. Using a retinoic acid-induced rat model of spina bifida we demonstrated that, when exposed to amniotic fluid, fetal spinal cords showed progressive astrogliosis with neuronal loss at mid-gestation (E15) compared to unexposed spinal cords. The number of microglial cells with a reactive phenotype and activation ma

SUBMITTER: Oria M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6045622 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature