Glijas šūnu morfofunkcionālais raksturojums govju centrālajā nervu sistēmā (CNS)

Astrocytes belong to the glial cells and provide many functions in brain tissues including transport of liquid and ions, development of barrier structures, proliferation in injury, phagocytosis. Astrogliosis with following destruction of glial cells is one of morphological phenomena observed in neurodegenerative brain disease like bovine spongioform encephalopathy (BSE). Thus, the aim of this study was detection of qualitative and quantitative
changes in cattle brain glial astrocytes in screening animals for BSE in Latvia by use of immunohistochemistry (glial acidic fibrillar protein, GAFP, working dilution 1:100, DAKO, Denmark). GAFP-containing cells were seen only in brain white matter, especially on the border between white and grey matter. The cells demonstrated long specifically stained processess and were located regularly without clustering in most cases. The proliferation of astrocytes near blood vessels and partial fragmentation of processes was observed in three animals. At the same time, GAFP was not observed in white matter glia. However, some animal’s brain cortical molecular layer contained occasional GAFP-containing cells. Massive tissue vacuolisation, absence of neurones, astrocytosis, breakdown of astrocytes typical in brain cortex, and medulla of animals with BSE were not seen in any of the investigated animals. In conclusion, no changes characteristic to BSE were observed in screening cattle brain in Latvia.
Changes connected with regional proliferation of glia around the blood capillaries might be connected with local trauma or beginning of neurodegenerative disease.