Age Estimation Using S 100 Protein-Positive Stellate Cells in Anterior Pituitary
We examined the embryonic development as well as postnatal development of S-100 protein-positive stellate cells in the anterior lobe of human hypophysis using immunohistochemical method, and investigated the possibility of using the frequency of the stellate cells for age estimation. A definite positive correlation was observed between the proportion of the stellate cell and age, in both males (r= 0.987) and females (r=0.986). The linear regression equation was y= 0.206x-1.82 for males and y=0.239x-2.22 for females (x: age, y: percentage of S-100 protein-positive stellate cells). Although the reason for an increase in stellate cells with age remains unknown, the present results indicate that the proportion of stellate cells in the anterior pituitary can be applied reliably to estimate age.
