Astroglial localization of cholesteryl ester transfer protein in normal and Alzheimer's disease brain tissues.

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is a plasma glycoprotein that facilitates the transfer of cholesteryl esters, phospholipids and triglycerides between the lipoproteins, and regulates plasma high-density lipoprotein levels. We examined CETP-like immunolabeling in non-neurological and Alzheimer's disease (AD) liver and brain tissues. The anti-CETP antibodies showed positive staining in round cells in the liver sinusoid and in brain astrocytes. In the brains of non-neurological cases, positively stained astrocytes were preferentially distributed in the white matter. In AD tissue, many reactive astrocytes in the gray matter as well as the white matter astrocytes had CETP-like immunoreactivity. CETP-positive astrocytes may play a role for AD pathology such as tissue repair.