Fluoro-Jade C (FJC) staining is widely used for the specific detection of all degenerating mature neurons, including apoptotic, necrotic, and autophagic cells. However, whether FJC staining can detect degenerating immature neurons and neural stem/precursor cells remains unclear. In addition, some conflicting studies have shown that FJC and its ancestral dyes, Fluoro-Jade (FJ) and FJB, can label resting/activated astrocytes and microglia. In the present study, we examined the validity of FJC staining for the detection of neuronal cells in adult and embryonic mouse brains under normal and injured conditions. In the adult rodent subventricular zone-rostral migratory stream-olfactory bulb system, apoptosis associated with neurogenesis occurs under normal conditions. Using this system, we detected FCJ positive (+) cells, some of which were doublecortin (DCX)(+) neuroblasts, in addition to neuronal nuclei (NeuN)(+) mature neurons. FJC negative (-) apoptotic cells expressing activated Caspase 3 were also observed, and a small number of FJC(+)/ionized calcium-binding adaptor 1 (Iba1)(+) microglia and FJC(+)/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)(+) astrocytes were observed in the normal brain. Next, we analyzed embryonic brains, in which the apoptosis of neural stem/precursor cells was induced by the administration of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) or ethanol at embryonic day 14 or 10, respectively. In those brains, FJC(+) neural stem/precursor cells and neuroepithelial cells expressing SRY-related HMG-box 2 (Sox2) were observed. Surprisingly degenerating mesenchymal cells were also FJC(+). The present study indicates that FJC is a reliable marker for degenerating neuronal cells during all differentiation stages. However, FJC could also label degenerating non-neuronal cells under some conditions. Highlights• Fluoro-Jade C can label degenerating immature neurons during adult neurogenesis under normal conditions.• Fluoro-Jade C can label neural stem/precursor cells in apoptosis-induced embryonic brains.• Some degenerating microglia and astrocytes can be Fluoro-Jade C positive under some conditions.• Apoptotic mesenchymal cells induced by the administration of a toxic dose of ethanol were also Fluoro-Jade C positive. Keywords cell death, neural stem/precursor cells, adult neurogenesis, embryonic brain , glia, mesenchymal cells 4 Abbreviations Cas3, activated Caspase3 DCX, doublecortin ENU, N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea FJ, Fluoro-Jade GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid GAD67, glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein GFP, green fluorescent protein

Fluoro-Jade C (FJC) staining has been used to detect degenerating neurons in tissue sections. It is a simple and easy staining procedure and does not depend on the manner of cell death. In some experiments, double staining with FJC and fluorescent immunostaining (FI) is required to identify cell types. However, pretreatment for FJC staining contains some processes that are harsh to fluorophores, and the FI signal is greatly reduced. To overcome this issue, we improved the double staining protocol to acquire clear double-stained images by introducing the labeled streptavidin–biotin system. In addition, several studies indicate that FJC can label non-degenerating glial cells, including resting/reactive astrocytes and activated microglia. Moreover, our previous study indicated that degenerating mesenchymal cells were also labeled by FJC, but it is still unclear whether FJC can label degenerating glial cells. Acute encephalopathy model mice contained damaged astrocytes with clasmatodendrosis, and 6-aminonicotinamide-injected mice contained necrotic astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Using our improved double staining protocol with FJC and FI, we detected FJC-labeled degenerating astrocytes and oligodendrocytes with pyknotic nuclei. These results indicate that FJC is not specific to degenerating neurons in some experimental conditions:

Acute encephalopathy (AE) is mainly reported in East Asia and, in most cases, results from pediatric viral infections, leading to fever, seizure, and loss of consciousness. Cerebral edema is the most important pathological symptom of AE. At present, AE is classified into four categories based on clinical and pathophysiological features, and cytokine storm-induced AE is the severest among them. The pathogenesis of AE is currently unclear; this can be attributed to the lack of a simple and convenient animal model for research. Here, we hypothesized that the induction of systemic inflammation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection followed by hyperthermia (HT) treatment can be used to develop an animal model of cytokine storm-induced AE. Postnatal eight-day-old mouse pups were intraperitoneally injected with low-dose LPS (50 or 100 mg/kg) followed by HT treatment (41.5 C, 30 min). Histological analysis of their brains was subsequently performed.Fluorescein isothiocyanate assay combined with immunohistochemistry was used to elucidate blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. LPS (100 mg/kg) injection followed by HT treatment increased BBB permeability in the cerebral cortex and induced microglial activation. Astrocytic clasmatodendrosis was also evident. The brains of some pups exhibited small ischemic lesions, particularly in the cerebral cortex. Our results indicate that a low-dose LPS injection followed by HT treatment can produce symptoms of cytokine storm-induced AE, which is observed in diseases, such as acute necrotizing encephalopathy and hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome. Thus, this mouse model can help to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying AE.