title: Estrogen receptor alpha-immunoreactive astrocytes are increased in the hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Postmenopausal estrogen use may decrease the risk, and delay the onset and progression, of Alzheimer's disease (AD). By means of fluorescence immunocytochemistry, the present study investigated the distribution of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) in the human hippocampus in controls and in AD cases. ERalpha immunoreactivity was observed in neurons and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive astrocytes in the hippocampus both in controls and AD cases. The number and density of GFAP- and ERalpha-positive astrocytes was increased in AD. The number of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes, the number of nuclear ERalpha-staining astrocytes, and cytoplasmic ERalpha-staining astrocytes per unit area (1 mm(2)) significantly increased (P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, respectively) in CA1 in AD patients, while the percentage of ERalpha-immunoreactive astrocytes of the two groups did not differ (P > 0.05). These data suggest an important role for ERalpha-mediated effects of estrogens on neurons and astrocytes in the hippocampus of human and AD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Life Science School, University of Science and Technology of China, P.R., Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xiang-You
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Dick F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Swaab
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ravid
authors.forename: Jiang-Ning
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen