The application of immunofluorescent antibody method in research of human brain edema

The direct and indirect immunofluorescent methods were used to demonstrate the serum proteins in vasogenic brain edema on paraffin embedded formalin fixed human brains with carcinoma metastases. Applying these techniques extravasated albumin was detected within the tumor and in the surrounding neuropil. In the remote part of the peritumorous area the cytoplasma of neurons and astrocytes were stained specifically. The specific immunostaining clearly demonstrates the plasma origin of proteins in human peritumorous edema similarly to the experimental vasogenic brain edema. The immunofluorescent technique seems to be very useful to investigate the human brain edema on necropsy material as well.