Table 2.
Injured retinas
| Retinal nerve fiber layer/ganglion cell layer | Inner plexiform layer | Ganglion cell complex (GCL + IPL) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brn3a+ RGCs | FG+ RGCs | PMCs | Non-PMCs | Total MCs | PMCs | Non-PMCs | Total MCs | |||
| ONC | 2 days (n = 8) | 75,987 ± 4210 | 80,459 ± 1552 | 11 ± 5 | ||||||
| 5 days (n = 8) | 42,656* ± 5111 | 67,302* ± 5901 | 3116* ± 740 | |||||||
| 9 days (n = 8) | 25,105* ± 5789 | 30,896* ± 1719 | 13,401* ± 2549 | |||||||
| 14 days (n = 12) | 10,639* ± 3150 | 15,755* ± 3359 | 22,404* ± 1863 | 2801 ± 350 | 23,206 ± 1070 | 760* ± 132 | 4501 ± 546 | 5261* ± 404 | 28,467 ± 1555 | |
| 2 months (n = 4) | 5457 ± 1724 | 8580* ± 385 | 10,497* ± 289 | 2375 ± 408 | 12,871* ± 374 | 2343 ± 304 | 4694 ± 499 | 7038* ± 660 | 19,910* ± 948 | |
| ONT | 2 days (n = 8) | 67,466*† ± 5539 | 79,997 ± 1345 | 43 ± 8 | ||||||
| 5 days (n = 8) | 31,938*† ± 4829 | 54,290*† ± 4136 | 5025* ± 1058 | |||||||
| 9 days (n = 8) | 18,015* ± 4542 | 22,002*† ± 1336 | 19,842*† ± 2534 | |||||||
| 14 days (n = 12) | 5515* ± 1101 | 8627*† ± 1433 | 22,092† ± 3514 | 2258 ± 412 | 24,351† ± 2193 | 941* ± 211 | 4760 ± 801 | 5702* ± 792 | 30,053 ± 2202 | |
| 2 months (n = 4) | 2708 ± 813 | 2983* ± 232 | 10,865* ± 584 | 3280 ± 685 | 14,145* ± 410 | 3971† ± 125 | 3756 ± 356 | 7728* ± 332 | 21,873* ± 415 | |
Mean number ± standard deviation of Brn3a+RGCs, FG+RGCs, phagocytic microglial cells (PMCs), and non-phagocytic microglial cells (non-PMCs, surveying and/or activated microglial cells that are not transcellularly labeled) in the same retinas within each group and time point. Total MCs is the sum of PMCs and non-PMCs
MC microglial cell, FG fluorogold, RGCs retinal ganglion cells, ONT optic nerve transection, ONC optic nerve crush, RNFL/GCL retinal nerve fiber layer + ganglion cell layer, IPL/INL inner plexiform layer + inner limit inner nuclear layer, GCC ganglion cell complex (RFNL/GCL + IPL/INL)
*Significant difference compared to previous time point (2 days or IPL 14 days vs. intact or tracing control retinas, Table 1)
†Significant difference between ONC and ONT at the same time point. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test, p < 0.05. The number of analyzed retinas to quantify GCL cells is shown in the second left column. For the IPL analysis, four retinas per group/time point were used
In bold font is shown the total number ± SD of MCs (PMCs plus non-PMCs) in the different retinal layers