title: Intramembranous cytochemistry: a new morphological technique for studying cholesterol in the astrocyte plasma membrane of ischemic brain cells.
abstract: The distribution of cholesterol in the astrocytic plasma membranes of normal and ischemic caudate nucleus in the cat was investigated with the polyene antibiotic, filipin, a morphological probe for membrane cholesterol domains in freeze-fracture tissue replicas. After filipin incubation of prefixed vibratome slices, filipin-cholesterol complexes appeared as 20 to 30 nm protuberances and pits on P- and E-faces of the replicas. Distinct patterns of filipin-cholesterol complexes were found on nonischemic and ischemic astrocyte membranes. The filipin-treated specimens showed an 80% decrease in astroglial plasmalemma of cholesterol 1 hour after cerebral ischemia.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002415:Cats; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005372:Filipin; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008488:Medical Illustration; D008854:Microscopy, Electron
chemical_list: D005372:Filipin; D002784:Cholesterol