[Expression of P-glycoprotein as a multidrug resistance gene product in human reactive astrocytes and astrocytoma].

The immunohistochemical detection of multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene products and their mRNA within brain tumor cells has already been described by Fojo et al. 1987. 63 specimens of astrocytomas and glioblastomas were analysed in the present study (Grading type 1 to 4) by means of the monoclonal antibody JSB1. The endothelial cells were positive only in astrocytic tumors with a grading of 1. Increasing tumor grading resulted in more positive immunological reactions in tumor cells. The most impressive reaction could be found in anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma (G3 and G4). Overexpression of this P-glycoprotein, a plasma membrane component of a relative molecular mass of 170 kDa was not only found in tumor cells of anaplastic astrocytomas, but also in endothelial cells and some non-neoplastic brain diseases. Positive immunological reactions in protoplasmatic astrocytes could be demonstrated in cases of phenylketonuria (1/1), tuberculous leptomeningitis (2/2), SSPE (3/4), X-ray necrosis (1/1) and necrotizing viral encephalitis (1/4). According to this, it seems that astrocytes are able to express P-glycoprotein under the influence of some special metabolic conditions. This underlines the detoxicating function of reactive astrocytes within the total number of cells in the CNS.