There is increasing evidence of astrocyte dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Animal studies supported by human post-mortem work have demonstrated two main astrocyte types: the C3 immunopositive neurotoxic A1 astrocytes and the S100A10 immunopositive neuroprotective A2 astrocytes. A1 astrocytes predominate in AD, but the number of cases has been relatively small. We examined post-mortem brains from a larger cohort of AD cases and controls employing C3 and S100 immunohistochemistry to identify the astrocytic subtypes. There were a number of C3 immunopositive astrocyte-like cells (ASLCs) in the control cases, especially in the lower cerebral cortex and white matter. In AD this cell density appeared to be increased in the upper cerebral cortex but was similar to controls in other regions. The S100A10 showed minimal immunopositivity in the control cases in the cortex and white matter, but there was increased ASLC density in upper/lower cortex and white matter in AD compared to controls. In AD and control cases the numbers of C3 immunopositive ASLCs were greater than those for S100A10 ASLCs in all areas studied. It would appear that the relationship between A1 and A2 astrocytes and their possible role in the pathogenesis of AD is complex and requires more research.

中文翻译：

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阿尔茨海默氏病脑中C3和S100A10免疫阳性星形胶质细胞的密度增加，但分布不同，这提示A1和A2星形胶质细胞在疾病发病机理中可能发挥作用。

阿尔茨海默氏病（AD）发病机理中星形胶质细胞功能障碍的证据越来越多。人类验尸工作支持的动物研究显示出两种主要的星形胶质细胞类型：C3免疫阳性神经毒性A1星形胶质细胞和S100A10免疫阳性神经保护性A2星形胶质细胞。A1星形胶质细胞在AD中占主导地位，但病例数相对较少。我们检查了大批AD病例和对照的死后大脑，并采用C3和S100免疫组织化学方法鉴定了星形细胞亚型。在对照病例中，尤其是在下部大脑皮层和白质中，存在大量的C3免疫阳性星形胶质样细胞（ASLC）。在AD中，该细胞密度似乎在上部大脑皮层中增加，但是与其他区域的对照相似。与对照相比，S100A10在皮层和白质的对照病例中显示出最小的免疫阳性，但在AD中上/下皮层和白质的ASLC密度增加。在AD和对照病例中，在所有研究领域中，C3免疫阳性ASLC的数量均大于S100A10 ASLC的数量。看来A1和A2星形胶质细胞之间的关系及其在AD发病机理中的可能作用是复杂的，需要进一步研究。