Immune Response to Lipopolysaccharide In the Developing Taste System of Rats
Advisor Information
Suzanne Sollars
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-3-2016 12:45 PM
End Date
4-3-2016 2:15 PM
Abstract
Though recovery rates following neural injury are canonically considered better following damage in younger animals compared to older ones, the taste system is an exception to this rule. The underlying causes for these developmental differences remain unclear, however. One proposed mechanism is differences in immune response. Neutrophils form the initial (innate) immune response, and are present within hours of infection or injury. While neutrophils fend off infection, they also cause inflammation and have been shown to have a deleterious effect on surrounding, healthy tissue. Thus an increased or prolonged neutrophil response is a strong candidate for the lack of neural regeneration seen following damage in young animals. The injection of a bacterial toxin, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), has previously been used to experimentally induce an immune response and the present investigation aimed to characterize the neutrophil activity in the peripheral tongue following LPS injection. In order to characterize the immune response at an early developmental age, animals were given an injection of LPS at 12 days of age and immunohistochemistry was used to assess the magnitude and time-course of neutrophil response at 24 and 48 hours post-injection. Preliminary results suggest that the immune response of immature animals follows a similar time course to that seen in adults, with a robust response evident by 24 hours post-injection. If young animals do show increased or prolonged response, it would suggest that innate immune function is a prime candidate for explaining the differences in nerve recovery rates seen across development.
Immune Response to Lipopolysaccharide In the Developing Taste System of Rats
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Though recovery rates following neural injury are canonically considered better following damage in younger animals compared to older ones, the taste system is an exception to this rule. The underlying causes for these developmental differences remain unclear, however. One proposed mechanism is differences in immune response. Neutrophils form the initial (innate) immune response, and are present within hours of infection or injury. While neutrophils fend off infection, they also cause inflammation and have been shown to have a deleterious effect on surrounding, healthy tissue. Thus an increased or prolonged neutrophil response is a strong candidate for the lack of neural regeneration seen following damage in young animals. The injection of a bacterial toxin, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), has previously been used to experimentally induce an immune response and the present investigation aimed to characterize the neutrophil activity in the peripheral tongue following LPS injection. In order to characterize the immune response at an early developmental age, animals were given an injection of LPS at 12 days of age and immunohistochemistry was used to assess the magnitude and time-course of neutrophil response at 24 and 48 hours post-injection. Preliminary results suggest that the immune response of immature animals follows a similar time course to that seen in adults, with a robust response evident by 24 hours post-injection. If young animals do show increased or prolonged response, it would suggest that innate immune function is a prime candidate for explaining the differences in nerve recovery rates seen across development.