PMID: 9161098Jan 1, 1997Paper

A morphometric evaluation of morphological types of microglia and astroglia in human fetal mesencephalon

Folia Neuropathologica
T Wierzba-BobrowiczE Kosno-Kruszewska

Abstract

Quantitative changes associated with the differentiation of microglial and astroglial cells in 48 fetal mesencephalons between 8 and 22 week of gestation (GW) were studies. Using lectin (RCA-1) labelling, two morphological types of RCA-1 positive cells, ameboid microglia (AM) and ramified microglia (RM) were identified on the basis of the cell body shape and the configuration of cytoplasmic processes. Astrocytes (AS) were identified by immunocytochemical labelling of GFAP. Measurements of microglial and astroglial cells were carried out in mesencephalon tectum and tegmentum under the microscope in sequential segments corresponding to equal sized non-overlapping areas. The quantitative data about concerning the number and percentage distribution of AM, RM and AS from each of the grid-quartiles were analyzed. The study revealed a time-sequence of appearance, characteristic pattern of distribution along perpendicular and longitudinal axes originating from aqueduct and changes in percent distribution of both types of microglial cells and astrocytes. Ameboid type of microglia was already present in 8 GW fetus in tectum (22.5 cells/mm2) and in tegmentum (10.2 cells/mm2). During the fetal development the number of AM peaked about 8-9 ...Continue Reading

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