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Microglia are a type of glial cell located throughout the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system (CNS). [1] Microglia account for about 10–15% of cells found within the brain. [2] As the resident macrophage cells, they act as the first and main form of active immune defense in the CNS. [3]
He managed to identify microglia between 1919 and 1921 by staining the cells with silver carbonate. [3] His method of staining also led to the discovery of oligodendroglia in 1921, [4] which both he and Penfield are now credited with. [2] However it was Rio Hortega who named the cells. [1]
Microglia, while primarily known for their immunological functions, exhibit remarkable plasticity, enabling them to perform a diverse range of roles within the central nervous system. Traditionally, microglia have been characterized as existing in two distinct morphological states that correlate with changes in their functional properties: [45]
The exception is microglia, which are derived from hematopoietic stem cells. In the adult, microglia are largely a self-renewing population and are distinct from macrophages and monocytes, which infiltrate an injured and diseased CNS. In the central nervous system, glia develop from the ventricular zone of the neural tube.
Immunofluorescence staining of homeostatic microglia in a healthy adult mouse retina. Microglia are the tissue-resident phagocytes of the central nervous system. CSF1R signaling promotes migration of primitive microglia precursor cells from the embryonic yolk sac to the developing brain prior to formation of the blood-brain-barrier.
ED1 is the most widely used monoclonal antibody clone directed against the rat CD68 protein and is used to identify macrophages, Kupffer cells, osteoclasts, monocytes, and activated microglia in rat tissues. [13] [14] [15] In this species, it is expressed in most macrophage populations and thus ED1 is commonly used as a pan-macrophage marker. [16]
Glitter cells (also called Sternheimer-Malbin positive cells) are polymorphonuclear leukocyte neutrophils with granules that show a Brownian movement and that are found in the urine, most commonly associated with urinary tract infections or pyelonephritis and especially prevalent under conditions of hypotonic urine (samples with specific gravity less than 1.01). [1]
Microglia have been implicated in neuropathic pain. They become activated in response to nerve injury, as demonstrated by several animal models. [30] Activated microglia release substances that excite pain-sensitive neurons, including prostaglandins and reactive oxygen species, through the purinergic signaling mechanisms.