S-100 proteins in trimethyltin-induced neurodegeneration in the rat hippocampus. An immunochemical and immunocytochemical study.

After acute trimethyltin (TMT) intoxication (21 d after a single i.p. injection at a dose of 8 mg/kg) the histological, immunohistochemical, and immunochemical investigation of adult rat hippocampus showed a distinct pattern of neuronal loss, and an increase in both glial fibrillary acidic protein- (GFAP) immunoreactive cells and GFAP concentration, as expected. S-100-immunoreactive cells also increased markedly, whereas the concentration of S-100 increased even more than that of GFAP. The data show that S-100 is an index of glial reaction to damage after TMT intoxication and suggest the potential usefulness of exploring the possibility that it may play a role in induced neurodegenerative processes.