Mapping Microglial Parameters Software (MMPS): An Open-Source, User-Friendly Tool for Quantitative Microglia...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Microglia are key immune cells in the central nervous system, implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Analyzing microglial morphology provides insights into their function and activation states.
• Existing analysis tools often lack accessibility or require specialized computational skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an open-source, user-friendly software platform for quantitative microglial morphology analysis.
• To overcome limitations of current, often inaccessible, microglial analysis tools.
• To facilitate widespread adoption of microglial morphology analysis in research.

Main Methods:

• Development of Mapping Microglial Parameters Software (MMPS) using Python 3.11.
• MMPS features a graphical user interface for semi-automated, single-cell analysis.
• Validation using a rodent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation model.

Main Results:

• MMPS successfully quantified morphological differences in microglia.
• LPS-treated animals showed significantly increased soma area and reduced cell perimeter in microglia (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively).
• Observed morphological changes align with known features of microglial activation and neuroinflammation.

Conclusions:

• MMPS offers a standardized and reproducible platform for microglial morphology analysis.
• The software enhances accessibility for researchers studying neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases.
• MMPS supports immunofluorescence-based workflows without requiring coding expertise.