[Cognitive impairments relate to the expression of α7 nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptor (α7nAChR) and the proportion of M1/M2 microglia in the hippocampus of male mice with sepsis-associated encephalopathy].
摘要
Objective To investigate the cognitive differences between male and female mice with sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) and its underlying mechanism. Methods The SAE model was induced by caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in male and female mice aged from 6 to 8 weeks. The cognitive functions of the mice were evaluated by novel object recognition test and contextual fear conditioning test. The expression and distribution of α7 nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptor (α7nAChR) and the proportion of M2 microglia in hippocampus of SAE mice were detected by immunofluorescence staining, and the level of α7nAChR protein was detected by Western blot. Results The cognitive function of male SAE mice was significantly impaired, and the expression level of α7nAChR protein in hippocampus of male SAE mice decreased significantly compared with that of female SAE mice. At the same time, the proportion of M2 microglia in SAE male mice was significantly lower than that in female mice. Conclusion The expression level of α7nAChR protein in hippocampus of SAE male mice is significantly lower than that of SAE female mice, and the proportion of M2 microglia is relatively lower, which lead to the cognitive dysfunction of SAE male mice.