Effect of Chlorpyrifos and Lipopolysaccharide on Primary Cultured Astrocytes

This study aimed to investigate the effect of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on primary cultured astrocytes of the neonatal rat cerebral cortex. Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including obstacles of learning, emotion, memory, and so on, in patients induce a severe decline in social adaptation, resulting in a heavy burden on the family and society. However, the exact etiology and pathogenesis of NDDs are unclear. Adverse environmental factors can seriously impact the development of the nervous system. Methods: Trypsin digestion was used to isolate and purify astrocytes, and identify cells using the immunofluorescence method. The activities of astrocytes were evaluated using a cell counting kit 8 assay. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to measure the changes in the expression level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Results: The expression level of GFAP increased in 12 h after astrocytes were exposed to 0.1 and 1μg/mL LPS. The results indicated that 1μg/mL LPS could cause a significant activation of astrocytes. The expression level of GFAP and HMGB1 increased after astrocytes were exposed to 25 and 50μM CPF combined with 1 μg/mL LPS (P<0.05), and decreased after exposure to 100μM CPF combined with 1 μg/mL LPS (P< 0.05). CPF and LPS can not only cause astrocyte activation but also increase the expression of GFAP and HMGB1. The effect of CPF combined with LPS is more obvious than CPF or LPS alone on astrocytes, indicating that they exert a synergistic effect.