Vimentin in Kolmer cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

Epiplexus (Kolmer) cells are macrophage-like cells of the choroid plexus that help maintain the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. Here we studied the structural organization of Kolmer cells in Wistar, Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. A comparative study using Iba-1, CD68 and vimentin immunohistochemistry showed that the functional activity of epiplexus cells differs in three examined groups of animals. Wistar-Kyoto and SHR rats showed noticeable signs of Kolmer cells activation, which consisted in the disappearance of cell processes resulting in the formation of round-shaped cells. Another significant observation was the presence of vimentin in activated epiplexus cells. The result obtained indicates that vimentin expression by phagocytic cells could be linked with their activation.