Fig. 3: The NLRP3 inflammasome is a mediator of SD-associated anxiety and microgliosis.
From: Anxiolytic effects of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition in a model of chronic sleep deprivation
Analysis of behavior of wild-type and Nlrp3-/- mice tested in the Dark-Light Box task. Mice were then subjected to 6 h SD for 6 days, then tested in the elevated plus maze task. (A) Timeline of behavioral studies. (B–D) Time spent in the Light Zone (B), Entries into the Light Zone (C), and Total Distance traveled in the dark-light box task (D). (E–G) Time spent in the open arms (E), Entries into the open arms (F), and total distance traveled in the elevated plus maze task (G). N = 19–22 mice/group for dark-light box, 10–14 mice/group for Elevated Plus Maze. (H) mRNA expression of the inflammation-related genes IL1b, Nlrp3, and Hmgb1 in the hippocampus. (I) mRNA expression of the IκB genes Nfkbia, Nfkbib, and Nfkbie in the hippocampus. (J) mRNA expression of the circadian clock genes Bmal1 and Clock in the hippocampus. N = 3–9 mice/group. (K) Representative hippocampal microglia. Red: Iba1. Green: Soma. Yellow: Branches. Scale bar: 15 μm. (L–N) Numbers (L), Total branch length per cell (M), and total branch endpoints of hippocampal microglia (N). N = 4–6 mice/group, >4 hippocampal sections studied per animal. For anatomical studies, >25 cells studied per section. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001 by Two-Way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-test.
