Microglial activation during acute cerebral infarction in the presence of diabetes mellitus

The patients suffering from acute cerebral infarction in the presence of diabetes mellitus (DMCI) often have poor clinical outcomes when compared with those in the absence of diabetes mellitus (non-DMCI), but the corresponding differences in pathology still remain elusive. Here, we investigated the proliferation of microglia in DMCI and non-DMCI. Patients who came to autopsy involved four DMCI cases and four non-DMCI cases. The peri-infarct region and the equivalent non-lesional region in the contralateral hemisphere were removed and analyzed. The hematoxylin–eosin staining and immunohistochemistry staining with anti-ferritin were used for evaluating the microglial activation. We found a more evident microglial proliferation in the peri-infarct region (P < 0.01) and in the non-lesional hemisphere (P < 0.05) in DMCI than in non-DMCI patients. In addition, neuronophagia was observed in peri-infarct region of DMCI. Future studies are warranted to further clarify the influence of microglial activation in DMCI.