Angioarchitecture of the CNS, Pituitary Gland, and Intracerebral Grafts Revealed with Peroxidase Cytochemistry

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-1987

Abstract

Blood vessels of the fetal, neonatal, and adult subprimate and primate CNS, including circumventricular organs (e.g., median eminence, pituitary gland, etc.), and of solid CNS and nonneural (anterior pituitary gland) allografts placed within brains of adult mammalian hosts were visualized with peroxidase cytochemistry applied in three ways: (1) to tissues from animals injected systemically with native horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or peroxidase conjugated to the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) prior to perfusion fixation; (2) to tissues from animals infused with native HRP into the aorta subsequent to perfusion fixation; and (3) to tissues from animals fixed by immersion and incubated for endogenous peroxidase activity in red cells retained within blood vessels. In neonatal and adult animals receiving native HRP intravascularly, non-fenestrated vessels contributing to a blood-brain barrier were outlined with HRP reaction product when tetrarnethyl-benzidine (TMB) as opposed to diaminobenzidine (DAB) was used as the chromogen; fenestrated vessels of circumventricular organs were not discernible due to the density of extravascular reaction product. Fenestrated and nonfenestrated cerebral and ext racer ebral blood vessels exposed to blood-borne WGA-HRP were visible when incubated in TMB and DAB solutions. Native HRP infused into the aorta of fixed animals likewise labeled nonfenestrated vessels throughout the brain upon exposure to TMB or DAB but obscured fenestrated vessels of the circumventricular organs. Endogenous peroxidase activity of red cells, seen equally well with TMB and DAB, outlined blood vessels throughout the cerebral gray and white matter and all circumventricular organs in fetal, neonatal, and adult animals.

Publication Title

The Journal of Comparative Neurology

Volume

260

Issue

1

First Page

47

Last Page

62

PubMed ID

3597834

Comments

This article was published in Journal of Comparative Neurology, Volume 260, Issue 1, pages 47-62.

The published version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cne.902600105

Copyright © John Wiley & Sons.

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