Fig. 3

ErbB4 small molecule agonist can improve synaptic dysfunction of hippocampal neurons in mice exposed to PS-MPs. (A) The ultrastructural analysis of hippocampal neuron synapses was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). (B) Statistical analyses were conducted on the synaptic data of hippocampal neurons. (C) Immunofluorescence was employed to detect the levels of synaptophysin (SYP) and β3-tubulin. (D) Western blot analysis was utilized to assess the protein levels of synapse-associated proteins, including DOCK3, p-CREB, CREB, SYP, GAP43, PSD95, and SYT1 in hippocampal neurons. (E) Statistical analyses of these protein levels were performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test. The synaptic structure was examined at a magnification of 10,000×, with a scale bar of 1 μm. Results are expressed as means ± SEM. Immunofluorescence labeling was as follows: SYP in red and β3-tubulin in green, with a scale bar of 20 μm. Statistical significance was indicated by *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001, with a sample size of n = 4 per group