Periwound dopaminergic sprouting is dependent on numbers of wound macrophages

Abstract

Injury to many regions of the central nervous system, including the striatum, results in a periwound or 'abortive' sprouting response. In order to directly evaluate whether macrophages play an important role in stimulating periwound sprouting, osteopetrotic (op/op) mice, which when young are deficient in a variety of macrophage subtypes, were given striatal wounds and the degree of dopaminergic sprouting subsequently assessed. Two weeks postinjury, significantly fewer wound macrophages were present in the striata of op/op mice compared with controls (144 ± 30.1 in op/op mice vs. 416.6 ± 82.3 in controls, P < 0.005, analysis performed on a section transecting the middle of the wound). Dopamin..