Aim: 

Apolipoprotein D (apo D) is a 29 K-Da glicoprotein that was isolated from high-density lipoproteins (HDL). It belongs to the lipocalin superfamily which binds and transports small hydrophobic ligands. It is expressed in a wide variety of mammalian tissues and it has been shown to be up-regulated in the central nervous system in several neuropathological conditions, after traumatic brain injury and in aging. The apo D promotor shows three estrogens response elements and the expression of the protein has been shown to be influenced by estrogens in breast cyst fluid. The aim of this report is to study the relationship between gender and expression of apo D in human hippocampus during aging.

Methods: 

Human samples from hippocampus were provided by the Pathologic Anatomy Department of The Central Hospital of Asturias. Forty-eight subjects of both sexes, between 30 and 90 year-old, without neurological or neuropathological disorders were used to study the expression of apo D by inmunohistochemistry. The resulting signal was quantified using Adobe Photshop and Image J and statistically analized.

Results: 

The results show that neuronal and glial cells are posivitive for apo D in men and women. In most of the studied areas, the apo D expression increase with age in women but not in men. In the 50-70 decade sexual differences in apo D expression in the CA4 and the dentate gyrus have also been identified.

Conclusion: 

Our findings show that the apo D expression is influenced by age and sex.