Course of glial immunoreactivity for vimentin, tenascin and alpha1-antichymotrypsin after traumatic injury to human brain.

In a total of 104 individuals who had sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI), the course of glial immunoreactivity was investigated at the injured cortical area during the first 30 weeks after the trauma, in order to provide data for a forensic wound age estimation. Glial cells were stained with antibodies against the intermediate filament protein vimentin, the extracellular matrix protein tenascin and the serine protease inhibitor alpha1-antichymotrypsin (alpha1-ACT). Injury-induced glial staining reactions could be observed, at the earliest, after a post-infliction interval of 3.1 h for alpha1-ACT, 22 h for vimentin and 7 days for tenascin.