Figure 4

GA perinatal administration affected astrocytes and pericytes. (A) Immunofluorescence images of AQP4 signal delineating blood vessels (white arrows) in the striatum of vehicle and GA-injected animals. No significant changes were observed at 14 DPI. At 30 DPI, AQP4 became a tiny ring around some vessels in GA-injected animals, as clearly shown in the higher magnifications of the areas enclosed. (B) Representative images of the immunoreactivity for the pericyte marker PDGFRβ evidencing strong signal around some blood vessels (white arrows) and some middle-sized positive cells (arrowheads). At 30 DPI, there was a reduction in the PDGFRβ signal around blood vessels of GA-injected animals when compared to controls. (C) Quantitation of AQP4 (left) and PDGFRβ (right) immunoreactivity confirming a significant decrease in the positive areas surrounding blood vessels in GA-injected animals related to age-matched controls at 30 DPI. Values are represented as the percentage of age-matched controls. (*) indicates statistical significance at p < 0.05. Scale bars in A: 50 μm and C: 20 μm.