title: Endothelin-1-like immunoreactivity is expressed in human reactive astrocytes.
abstract: The expression of endothelin-1-like immunoreactivity in astrocytes of the human brain was investigated by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method in post mortem material. A marked immunoreaction was present in reactive astrocytes around infarcts, lacunes, traumatic injuries, the lesions of progressive multifocal leuco-encephalopathy and in the cerebral cortex and white matter of Alzheimer's disease. The brains of patients who had neither history nor signs of cerebral disease exhibited only occasional immunoreactive astrocytes. A hypothesis is presented that endothelin-1 may be released from reactive astrocytes in many organic diseases of the human brain with considerable pathogenic consequences. It is known from experimental investigations that endothelin-1 may for instance cause severe vasoconstriction resulting in cell injury and that it may act as a growth factor for glial cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuropathology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Höög
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016232:Endothelins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007968:Leukoencephalopathy, Progressive Multifocal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016707:Tissue Fixation
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins