Abstract
Postmenopausal estrogen use may decrease the risk, and delay the onset and progression, of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). By means of fluorescence immunocytochemistry, the present study investigated the distribution of estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the human hippocampus in controls and in AD cases. ERα immunoreactivity was observed in neurons and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive astrocytes in the hippocampus both in controls and AD cases. The number and density of GFAP- and ERα-positive astrocytes was increased in AD. The number of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes, the number of nuclear ERα-staining astrocytes, and cytoplasmic ERα-staining astrocytes per unit area (1 mm 2) significantly increased ( P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, respectively) in CA1 in AD patients, while the percentage of ERα-immunoreactive astrocytes of the two groups did not differ ( P > 0.05). These data suggest an important role for ERα-mediated effects of estrogens on neurons and astrocytes in the hippocampus of human and AD patients.
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