Ammonia induced microglia activation was associated with limited effects on connexin 43 and aquaporin 4 expression in an astrocyte-microglia co-culture model.

The novel aspect of our study was the significant microglial activation and decrease of viability after NH4Cl incubation in different set-ups of an in vitro astrocyte-microglia co-culture model, contributing to better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of HE. Hyperammonemia led to limited effects on Cx43 and AQP4 expression, the relevance of these minimal changes should be viewed with caution.