Activation of Microglyocytes in the Anterior Horns of Rat Spinal Cord after Administration of Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide.

We studied the reaction of the microglia of the anterior horns of the rat spinal cord to intraperitoneal administration of bacterial LPS. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that acute systemic inflammation leads to activation of more than half of microglial cells as soon as in 24 h after LPS injection, while the total number of microglial cells does not change significantly. It was hypothesized that activated microglial cells are involved in the reorganization of synaptic connections, but do not have a neurotoxic effect.