Abstract

The pineal gland plays a key role in coordinating various bodily functions. The majority of pineal cells are pinealocytes, and the second largest group are glial cells, the data on which are contradictory. The present work is undertaken to study astroglial cells of the human pineal gland using an immunohistochemical method with transmitted light microscopy and, for the first time, confocal laser microscopy. Astrocytes were labeled with antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin. A large number of GFAP- and vimentin-immunopositive structures have been found in the human pineal gland. GFAP was localized in polygonal cells located in lobules among pinealocytes, while vimentin was localized in blood vessels and rounded cells localized mainly in trabeculae and partially in pineal lobules. Both GFAP- and vimentin-immunoreactive cells had several long branching processes that penetrated the entire pineal parenchyma, forming a dense network, and ended on the surface of the pineal gland, blood vessels, and around calcifications. GFAP-immunoreactive fibers tightly entwined all calcifications (singly and in groups), while vimentin-immunopositive processes surrounded only a part of them. The study of consecutive sections of the pineal gland showed that the coincidence of the localization of GFAP and vimentin for pineal cells is not typical. It can be supposed that, in the human pineal gland, there are two separate populations of astrocyte-like cells, GFAP- or vimentin-containing, which differ not only cytochemically, but also in morphological features and localization of cell bodies, as well as in the location of processes.

中文翻译：

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人类松果体中的 GFAP 和波形蛋白免疫阳性结构

摘要

松果体在协调各种身体功能方面起着关键作用。大多数松果体细胞是松果体细胞，第二大群体是神经胶质细胞，这方面的数据是矛盾的。目前的工作是使用免疫组织化学方法和透射光显微镜以及首次共聚焦激光显微镜来研究人类松果体的星形胶质细胞。星形胶质细胞用神经胶质原纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）和波形蛋白的抗体标记。在人类松果体中发现了大量的 GFAP 和波形蛋白免疫阳性结构。GFAP位于松果体细胞小叶中的多边形细胞中，波形蛋白位于血管中，圆形细胞主要位于小梁中，部分位于松果体小叶中。GFAP和波形蛋白免疫反应性细胞都有几个长的分支突起，它们穿透整个松果体实质，形成致密的网络，并终止于松果体表面、血管和钙化周围。GFAP 免疫反应性纤维紧密缠绕所有钙化点（单个和成组），而波形蛋白免疫阳性过程仅包围其中的一部分。对松果体连续切片的研究表明，松果体细胞中 GFAP 和波形蛋白的定位并不典型。可以假设，在人类松果体中，有两个独立的星形胶质细胞样细胞群，分别含有 GFAP 或波形蛋白，它们不仅在细胞化学上不同，而且在细胞体的形态特征和定位以及结构上也不同。在进程的位置。