Alterations induced by lithium in gfap expression and in the proteinic composition of glial cells in vitro.

In the adult brain, astrocytes account for about 40% of the cell population in the central nervous system. Normal, reactive and neoplastic astrocytes can be identified in immunohistochemical preparations by means of glial fibrillary acid proteins (GFAP) expression. This protein is considered to be a sensitive indicator of xenobiotics toxicity. Previous studies have demonstrated that 2 mM LiCl induce alterations of astrocyte morphology after 18-20 days of treatment in vitro. We have decided to study GFAP expression under such conditions. Immunodetection and Western blotting assays have shown 2 mM of LiCl to induce alterations of GFAP expression both after 12 days of treatment and after 18-20 days. Moreover, 2 mM of LiCl induce an alteration of the proteinic composition of cells.