Fig. 6

Brain tissue analysis of the lentiviral-based mouse model treated with 2% Trehalose. C57/Bl6 mice, males, 8-weeks old, were stereotaxically-injected bilaterally in the striatum with lentiviral vectors encoding mutant human ataxin-3 with 72 CAG repeats and distributed into control and treatment groups that received either water or 2% Trehalose, respectively, during 2 weeks. Protein levels of autophagy markers were quantified by western blot in both left and right striatal punches. a Picture of western blot membranes. b Quantitative densitometric analysis of autophagy markers (p62 and LC3BII) western blot bands. Values are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 12–13 striatum per group from 6 to 7 animals). Student’s t test, compared to control. Loss of darpp-32 staining and ubiqutitin aggregates were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, after 4 weeks of 2% trehalose administration, in mice stereotaxically-injected unilaterally in the striatum with mutant human ataxin-3 encoded lentiviral vectors. c Representative figure of darpp-32 immunohistological staining. Scale = 100 µm. d The darpp-32 depleted immunoreactivity was decreased in mice treated with 2% trehalose. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-tailed Student’s t test. *p < 0.05, compared to control. e Representative picture of ubiquitin staining. Scale bar = 50 µm. f, g Trehalose had no statistically significant effect in total aggregates number and size, but a tendency for decrease was observed. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-tailed Student’s t test. ns = not significant