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Exercise alters LPS-induced glial activation in the mouse brain
Bibiana C Mota1, Áine M Kelly1
1Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Neuronal Signaling
|December 11, 2020
Summary
Regular physical exercise enhances brain resilience by reducing neuroinflammation. Prior treadmill running in mice prevented cognitive deficits and decreased inflammatory responses in the brain following lipopolysaccharide exposure.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Physical exercise is linked to improved brain health and resilience.
- Exercise may mitigate neuroinflammation, but cellular mechanisms remain unclear.
- The impact of exercise on astrocyte and microglia activation is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how exercise affects glial cell responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
- To examine the influence of exercise on spatial learning and memory after LPS challenge.
- To elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying exercise-induced neuroprotection.
Main Methods:
- Mice underwent nine days of treadmill running before LPS injection.
- Spatial learning and memory were assessed using the object displacement task.
- Glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) were isolated and analyzed for inflammatory markers.
Main Results:
- Exercise protected against LPS-induced spatial memory impairment.
- Prior exercise attenuated hippocampal expression of IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-10 mRNA.
- LPS-induced pro-inflammatory responses in isolated astrocytes and microglia were reduced in exercised mice.
Conclusions:
- Exercise modulates neuroinflammation by dampening the pro-inflammatory microglial response.
- These findings suggest a cellular mechanism for exercise-induced neuroprotection.
- Regular physical activity may enhance brain resilience against inflammatory insults.
