title: Application of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry in the quantification of astrocytes in the rat brain.
abstract: Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was employed as a tool for quantification of astrocytes in the rat brain. One-micron-methacrylate sections were prepared from 70-micron slices stained for GFAP by using a preembedding staining procedure. Numbers/unit area of astrocytes and nonastrocytes were determined for cortex, corpus callosum, and hippocampal neuropil. In each, counts from GFAP-stained, toluidine-blue-counterstained sections were compared with counts obtained from sections stained with toluidine blue alone. Numbers of nonastrocytes and total glia in all three regions were comparable in both groups of sections. Astrocyte counts in the cortex and hippocampus also showed no significant differences between the two groups. In contrast, the number of astrocytes in the corpus callosum was significantly lower in GFAP-stained, toluidine-blue-counterstained sections than in sections stained with toluidine blue alone. GFAP immunohistochemistry is a useful tool for the quantification of astrocytes in semi-thin plastic sections of rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Faddis
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Vijayan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein