TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry in the quantification of astrocytes in the rat brain
AU - Faddis, Brian T.
AU - Vijayan, Vijaya K.
PY - 1988/12
Y1 - 1988/12
N2 - Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was employed as a tool for quantification of astrocytes in the rat brain. One‐micron‐methacrylate sections were prepared from 70‐μm slices stained for GFAP by using a preembedding staining procedure. Numbers/unit area of astrocytes and nonastrocytes were determined for cortex, corpus callosum, and hippocampal neuropil. In each, counts from GFAP‐stained, toluidine‐blue‐counterstained sections were compared with counts obtained from sections stained with toluidine blue alone. Numbers of nonastrocytes and total glia in all three regions were comparable in both groups of sections. Astrocyte counts in the cortex and hippocampus also showed no significant differences between the two groups. In contrast, the number of astrocytes in the corpus callosum was significantly lower in GFAP‐stained, toluidine‐blue‐counterstained sections than in sections stained with toluidine blue alone. GFAP immunohistochemistry is a useful tool for the quantification of astrocytes in semithin plastic sections of rat brain.
AB - Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was employed as a tool for quantification of astrocytes in the rat brain. One‐micron‐methacrylate sections were prepared from 70‐μm slices stained for GFAP by using a preembedding staining procedure. Numbers/unit area of astrocytes and nonastrocytes were determined for cortex, corpus callosum, and hippocampal neuropil. In each, counts from GFAP‐stained, toluidine‐blue‐counterstained sections were compared with counts obtained from sections stained with toluidine blue alone. Numbers of nonastrocytes and total glia in all three regions were comparable in both groups of sections. Astrocyte counts in the cortex and hippocampus also showed no significant differences between the two groups. In contrast, the number of astrocytes in the corpus callosum was significantly lower in GFAP‐stained, toluidine‐blue‐counterstained sections than in sections stained with toluidine blue alone. GFAP immunohistochemistry is a useful tool for the quantification of astrocytes in semithin plastic sections of rat brain.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0024255734&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/aja.1001830405
DO - 10.1002/aja.1001830405
M3 - Article
C2 - 3218620
AN - SCOPUS:0024255734
SN - 0002-9106
VL - 183
SP - 316
EP - 322
JO - American Journal of Anatomy
JF - American Journal of Anatomy
IS - 4
ER -