Chunk #24 — Results — Alcohol induces morphologic changes and alters expression of activation markers in microglia that are partially restored by CCR2/5 inhibition
To evaluate the activation state of microglia by alcohol in the CNS, we measured the levels of CD86, CD68, MHC-II, CD163, and CD206 by flow cytometry in isolated CD11b+CD45lo cells from the total brain. CD68 expression was downregulated in microglia following alcohol consumption, while the remainder of the activation markers were not significantly altered, although both CD86 and CD163 showed a trend toward increased expression in alcohol-fed mice. However, CVC treatment increased both CD86 and CD68 in both treatment paradigms and reduced expression of MHC-II and CD163 (Fig. 5d), suggesting that CCR2/5 signaling may contribute to microglia activation in alcohol-fed mice.
