Figure 4.

After 30 h incubation, (F) GFAP immunoreactive cultured human fetal astrocytes (red) reduced significantly (A,E) total Aβ burden (as assessed via 6E10 immunoreactivity, green) from human AD brain sections, when compared to (A,C) sections incubated with medium only (p < 0.001, n = 6–12). (A) However, treatment with inhibitors of the regulatory enzymes in the eicosanoid pathway did not increase further Aβ degradation, when compared to astrocytes incubated on top of the AD sections without inhibitors. Astrocytes cultured on top of the AD-affected brain section became arranged typically in groups near to the Aβ deposits (E–G). Neither astrocytes nor simultaneously added inhibitors had any effect on the typically smaller level of total Aβ in control brain sections incubated under similar conditions (B,D,H–J). Also, (L) CD68 immunoreactive fetal human microglia (red) attached on top of the (K) human AD brain sections, but did not reduce the level of total Aβ burden, with or without inhibitors (data not shown). Panels (G,J,M) represent merged images. Scale bars: 40 μM. ***p < 0.001.