Effect of Dopamine on the Migration of BV-2 Microglia Cells

Abstract

Microglia are the dominant immune cell within the CNS, and they function in a protective role through cytokine signaling and phagocytosis. Microglia are activated by a variety of insults such as infection or neurotoxicity brought on by exposure to psychostimulants. After such stimulatory signals, ramified microglia (inactive) change morphologically (amoeboid (active) microglia) and functionally (i.e., they move to the site of injury). Microglia have receptors for dopamine, yet little is know about the direct effects of dopamine on microglia movement to a site of neurodegeneration following psychostimulant exposure. To gain additional insight into the movement of microglia driven by psychostimulant-induced activation, dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter released in mass during psychostimulant exposure, was used in a wound-healing assay with a murine microglia cell line, BV-2. LPS, a known microglia migration activator was used as a positive control. Photos of the cell free area were taken every three hours after exposing the BV-2 microglia to different concentrations of dopamine or LPS. The number of cells that migrated into the wound were counted. Analysis of these results will provide insight into the direct effects of dopamine on microglia migration and activation after psychostimulant exposure.