title: Differential regional responsiveness of astroglia in mild hepatic encephalopathy: An Immunohistochemical approach in bile duct ligated rat.
abstract: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that occurs in both acute and chronic liver failure. However, the pathomechanisms of the disease remains obscure. Neuropathological studies have demonstrated a primary gliopathy in humans as well as in animal models of chronic and acute liver failure. Here, we have investigated in an animal model of mild HE: the bile duct ligated rat (BDL) at the cirrhotic stage (4 weeks after surgery), the expression of the key marker of mature astrocytes; the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in different brain areas such as: Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), Ventral tegmental area (VTA), hippocampus, dorsal striatum and brain cortex by means of immunohistochemistry. The immunohistochemical study showed, in BDL compared to the operated controls (shams), a diminished astrocyte reactivity corresponding to a loss of GFAP expression within SNc, VTA, hippocampus and dorsal striatum (p<0.05),whereas in the brain cortex astrocytes appeared strongly immunoreactive with increased GFAP expression (p<0.05) as compared to shams. Our finding demonstrated differential astroglial responses which depend to the specificity of the area investigated and its particular neuronal neighboring environment, and could have possible outcomes on the diverse neuronal functions especially those observed during the different episodes of hepatic encephalopathy.
authors.affiliation: Cadi Ayyad University, faculty of sciences Semlalia, Neurosciences, Pharmacology and Environment, Marrakesh, Morocco.
authors.forename: Omar El
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Hiba
authors.affiliation: Cadi Ayyad University, faculty of sciences Semlalia, Neurosciences, Pharmacology and Environment, Marrakesh, Morocco; Laboratoire des Sciences et Technologies de la Santé, Unité des Sciences biomédicales, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Santé, Université Hassan 1er, Settat, Morocco.
authors.forename: Abdeljalil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elgot
authors.affiliation: Cadi Ayyad University, faculty of sciences Semlalia, Neurosciences, Pharmacology and Environment, Marrakesh, Morocco.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahboucha
authors.affiliation: Cadi Ayyad University, faculty of sciences Semlalia, Neurosciences, Pharmacology and Environment, Marrakesh, Morocco. Electronic address: gamrani54@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Halima
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gamrani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000473:pathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
keywords: Astrocyte; BDL; Dorsal striatum; GFAP; Hippocampus; Immunohistochemistry; Mild hepatic encephalopathy; Substantia nigra pars compacta; Ventral tegmental area