Microglia can be isolated with high purity but low yield by shaking off loosely adherent cells from mixed glial cultures. Here we describe a new technique for isolating microglia with an average yield close to 2,000,000 microglial cells/mouse pup, more than five times higher than that of the shaking method. Confluent mixed glial cultures are subjected to mild trypsinization (0.05-0.12%) in the presence of 0.2-0.5 mM EDTA and 0.5-0.8 mM Ca2+. This results in the detachment of an intact layer of cells containing virtually all the astrocytes, leaving undisturbed a population of firmly attached cells identified as >98% microglia. These almost pure microglial preparations can be kept in culture for weeks and show proliferation and phagocytosis. Treatment with macrophage colony-stimulating factor and lipopolysaccharide, alone or in the presence of interferon gamma, induces typical microglial responses in terms of proliferation, morphological changes, nuclear factor-kappaB translocation, NO, and tumor necrosis alpha release and phagocytosis. This method allows for the preparation of highly enriched mouse or rat microglial cultures with ease and reproducibility. Because of its high yield, it can be especially convenient when high amounts of microglial protein/mRNA are required or in cases in which the starting material is limited, such as microglial cultures from transgenic animals.

The absence of adenosine A 2A receptors, or its pharmacological inhibition, has neuroprotective effects. Experimental data suggest that glial A 2A receptors participate in neurodegeneration induced by A 2A receptor stimulation. In this study we have investigated the effects of A 2A receptor stimulation on control and activated glial cells. Mouse cortical mixed glial cultures (75% astrocytes, 25% microglia) were treated with the A 2A receptor agonist CGS21680 alone or in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). CGS21680 potentiated lipopolysaccharide-induced NO release and NO synthase-II expression in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. CGS21680 potentiation of lipopolysaccharide-induced NO release was suppressed by the A 2A receptor antagonist ZM-241385 and did not occur on mixed glial cultures from A 2A receptor-deficient mice. In mixed glial cultures treated with LPS + CGS21680, the NO synthase-II inhibitor 1400W abolished NO production, and NO synthase-II immunoreactivity was observed only in microglia. Binding experiments demonstrated the presence of A 2A receptors on microglial but not on astroglial cultures. However, the presence of astrocytes was necessary for CGS21680 potentiating effect. In light of the reported neurotoxicity of microglial NO synthase-II and the neuroprotection of A 2A receptor inhibition, these data suggest that attenuation of microglial NO production could contribute to the neuroprotection afforded by A 2A receptor antagonists.

The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta) regulates the expression of key genes in inflammation but little is known about the involvement of C/EBPbeta in glial activation. In this report, we have studied the patterns of astroglial and microglial C/EBPbeta expression in primary mouse cortical cultures. We show that both astrocytes and microglia express C/EBPbeta in untreated mixed glial cultures. C/EBPbeta is upregulated when glial activation is induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS-induced upregulation of glial C/EBPbeta is rapid (2 h at mRNA level, 4 h at protein level). It is elicited by low concentrations of LPS (almost maximal effect at 1 ng/mL) and it is reversed by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. C/EBPbeta nuclear levels increase both in astrocytes and microglia after LPS treatment, and the response is more marked in microglia. The LPS-induced increase in microglial C/EBPbeta is prevented by coadministration of the MAP kinase inhibitors SB203580 (p38 inhibitor) + SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) or SB203580 + U0126 (ERK inhibitor). Systemic injection of LPS also increases brain nuclear levels of C/EBPbeta as shown by Western blot, and this increase is localized in microglial cells as shown by double immunofluorescence, in the first report to our knowledge of C/EBPbeta expression in activated glial cells in vivo. These findings support a role for C/EBPbeta in the activation of astrocytes and, particularly, microglia. Given the nature of the C/EBPbeta-regulated genes, we hypothesize that this factor participates in neurotoxic effects associated with glial activation. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.