Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Functional disease progression in children with inherited peripheral neuropathies: A prospective cohort study.

Journal of neuromuscular diseases·2026
Same author

Extending the temporal window of arbovirus evolutionary analysis through the recovery of a century-old bandavirus.

Virus evolution·2026
Same author

Isolation and Identification of Emerging Equine Encephalosis Virus Serotype 6 in Israel, 2023.

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

A human corticospinal organoid-slice connectoid model informs enhancer strategies for post-injury axon regrowth.

Cell reports·2026
Same author

Emerging Goatpox Virus Threat in Wild Ruminants: First Documented Outbreak in the United Arab Emirates, 2024.

Veterinary sciences·2026
Same author

Aujeszky's Disease in a Grey Wolf (<i>Canis lupus</i>) in Poland.

Viruses·2026
Same journal

Correction: Acetylcholine receptor stimulation activates protein kinase C mediated internalization of the dopamine transporter.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Defining spinal motor neuron subtypes across development: from embryonic specification to postnatal maturation.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Brief mechanical pulses induce sustained intracellular L-lactate production in astrocytes.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Effects of ethanol leaf extract of <i>Spondias mombin</i> on scopolamine-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration in adult male Wistar rats: evidence from behavioral, biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Ferroptosis in intracerebral hemorrhage: a bibliometric overview of mechanisms and future directions.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
Same journal

<i>Scn2a</i>, encoding Na <sub><i>V</i></sub> 1.2 channel, contributes to tonotopic maturation of spike kinetics in developing mouse MNTB.

Frontiers in cellular neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Primary Microglia Isolation from Mixed Glial Cell Cultures of Neonatal Rat Brain Tissue
10:20

Primary Microglia Isolation from Mixed Glial Cell Cultures of Neonatal Rat Brain Tissue

Published on: August 15, 2012

40.2K

Substrate Elasticity Exerts Functional Effects on Primary Microglia.

Stefan J Blaschke1,2, Seda Demir1, Anna König1

  • 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, The University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
|November 30, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Brain elasticity influences microglia function. Soft, brain-like substrates increase microglia proliferation and promote an anti-inflammatory state via stretch-dependent channels, offering therapeutic insights.

Keywords:
elasticitymicroglianeuroinflammationpolarizationvimentin

More Related Videos

Rapid and Refined CD11b Magnetic Isolation of Primary Microglia with Enhanced Purity and Versatility
07:54

Rapid and Refined CD11b Magnetic Isolation of Primary Microglia with Enhanced Purity and Versatility

Published on: April 13, 2017

10.2K
Characterization and Isolation of Mouse Primary Microglia by Density Gradient Centrifugation
10:21

Characterization and Isolation of Mouse Primary Microglia by Density Gradient Centrifugation

Published on: February 16, 2018

19.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Primary Microglia Isolation from Mixed Glial Cell Cultures of Neonatal Rat Brain Tissue
10:20

Primary Microglia Isolation from Mixed Glial Cell Cultures of Neonatal Rat Brain Tissue

Published on: August 15, 2012

40.2K
Rapid and Refined CD11b Magnetic Isolation of Primary Microglia with Enhanced Purity and Versatility
07:54

Rapid and Refined CD11b Magnetic Isolation of Primary Microglia with Enhanced Purity and Versatility

Published on: April 13, 2017

10.2K
Characterization and Isolation of Mouse Primary Microglia by Density Gradient Centrifugation
10:21

Characterization and Isolation of Mouse Primary Microglia by Density Gradient Centrifugation

Published on: February 16, 2018

19.9K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Biomaterials Science

Background:

  • Microglia are key immune cells in the brain, influencing both regeneration and neurodegeneration.
  • Emerging evidence suggests that the mechanical properties of the brain microenvironment, such as elasticity, impact neural cell behavior.
  • The specific effects of microenvironmental elasticity on microglia remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that microenvironmental elasticity affects microglia characteristics and functions.
  • To explore the role of mechanobiology in regulating microglia activation states.
  • To understand how substrate stiffness influences microglia proliferation, activation markers, and cytokine secretion.

Main Methods:

  • Developed an in vitro model using primary rat microglia cultured on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers with varying elasticity.
  • Simulated physiological brain elasticity and compared it to stiffer, supraphysiological controls.
  • Assessed microglia functional parameters under resting, M1 (pro-inflammatory), and M2 (anti-inflammatory) polarized conditions.

Main Results:

  • Microglia viability was unaffected by substrate elasticity.
  • Soft, brain-like elastic substrates significantly increased microglia proliferation (over two-fold) compared to stiffer controls.
  • Soft substrates promoted vimentin expression and upregulated the M2 marker CD206, alongside increased Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) secretion.
  • CD206 upregulation was dependent on stretch-activated chloride channels.

Conclusions:

  • Cultivating microglia on substrates mimicking brain elasticity promotes a baseline anti-inflammatory activation state.
  • This effect is mediated through stretch-dependent chloride channels, highlighting the importance of mechanobiology.
  • These findings contribute to understanding glia-neuron interactions and offer potential therapeutic avenues for neurological diseases by modulating the brain's mechanical properties.