Background: The liver-derived plasma protein fetuin-A is strongly expressed during fetal life, hence its name. Fetuin-A protein is normally present in most fetal organs and tissues, including brain tissue. Fetuin-A was neuroprotective in animal models of cerebral ischemia and lethal chronic inflammation, suggesting a role beyond the neonatal period. Little is known, however, on the presence of fetuin-A in mature human brain tissue under different physiological and pathological conditions.
Methods: We studied by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the distribution of fetuin-A protein in mature human brain autopsy tissues from patients without neurological disease, patients with inflammatory brain disorders, and patients with ischemic brain lesions. To identify fetuin-A-positive cells in these tissues we co-localized fetuin-A with GFAP (astrocytes) and CD68 (macrophages, activated microglia).
Results and discussion: Unlike previous reports, we detected fetuin-A protein also in mature human brain as would be expected from an abundant plasma protein also present in cerebrospinal fluid. Fetuin-A immunoreactivity was increased in ischemic white matter and decreased in inflamed cerebellar tissue. Fetuin-A immunostaining was predominantly associated with neurons and astrocytes. Unlike the developing brain, the adult brain lacked fetuin-A immunostaining in CD68-positive microglia. Our findings suggest a role for fetuin-A in tissue remodeling of neonatal brain, which becomes obsolete in the adult brain, but is re-activated in damaged brain tissue. To further assess the role of fetuin-A in the mature brain, animal models involving ischemia and inflammation need to be studied.