Fig. 5.
Activation of astrocyte and microglia in the spinal cord was enhanced in liver X receptor (LXR) α knockout ([–/–]) mice after spared nerve injury (SNI), and GW3965 inhibited activation of astrocytes and microglia, down-regulated interleukin (IL) 1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, and up-regulated IL-10 expression in the spinal dorsal horn in wild-type but not in LXRα (–/–) mice. (A) Expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) in six different groups is shown. (B, C) The histogram shows the summary data of the GFAP- or Iba1-positive area in different groups (n = 6/group). (D through F) Protein levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, and β-actin from samples of ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn in eight groups. The histogram shows the quantification of β-actin, TNF-α, and IL-10 normalized by β-actin (n = 6/group). **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared with wild-type mice that received sham surgery, ##P < 0.01 compared with wild-type mice that received SNI surgery. $$P < 0.01, $$$P < 0.001 compared with wild-type mice that received SNI surgery. Scale bar (A) = 50 µm. DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide.