title: Microvascular damage is involved in the pathogenesis of heroin induced spongiform leukoencephalopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether microvascular damage is involved in the pathogenesis of heroin induced spongiform leukoencephalopathy (HSLE).
  
  
  METHODS
  The brain tissues were collected from 4 HSLE patients and 5 controls and then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The frontal lobe, corpus callosum and cerebellum were separated. The expressions of myelin base protein (MBP) and CD34 were detected by immunohistochemistry. TUNEL staining was applied to detect cell apoptosis. The correlation between microvascular changes and pathological vacuoles was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No obvious abnormalities were found in the brain of controls. Immunohistochemistry for MBP showed the collapse and fracture of myelin sheath and vacuole formation in the subcortical white matter, corpus callosum, and cerebellar white matter of HSLE patients. TUNEL staining showed the number of apoptotic cells in the cerebellar white matter and corpus callosum of HSLE patients was significantly higher than that in controls (F = 389.451, P < 0.001). Masson's trichrome staining revealed vacuolar degeneration in the cerebral white matter of HSLE patients, and the vacuoles were distributed around the microvessels. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD34 positive cells were seldom found besides the vessels in the cerebellar white matter and corpus callosum of HSLE patients, but a variety of CD34 positive cells was found in the vascular wall of controls (F = 838.500, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apoptosis of oligodendrocytes may be related to the HSLE. Cerebral vascular injury and microcirculation dysfunction are involved in the pathogenesis of HSLE. The interrelation between apoptosis of oligodendrocytes and the microvascular damage are required to be studied in future investigations.
authors: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors: Ruixue
authors: R
authors: Yin
authors: Changjun
authors: C
authors: Lu
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Chen
authors: Jianzhong
authors: J
authors: Fan
authors: Jiangyang
authors: J
authors: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017209:Apoptosis; D017825:Canavan Disease / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020214:Cerebrovascular Trauma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003932:Heroin / Q000633:toxicity; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D003932:Heroin
keywords: apoptosis; demyelination; heroin induced spongiform leukoencephalopathy; microvessel; myelin base protein.