Vimentin in Kolmer Cells of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Epiplexus (Kolmer) cells are a special population of phagocytic cells of the choroid plexus involved in maintaining the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier in the brain. In the present work, the structural organization of these cells was studied in Wistar, Wistar Kyoto, and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. A comparative immunohistochemical investigation using antibodies against macrophage markers Iba-1 and CD68 and intermediate filament protein vimentin showed that Kolmer cells in three studied groups of animals differ in their functional activity. In Wistar Kyoto and SHR rats, not only signs of activation of Kolmer cells were noted, visible in the disappearance of processes and cells acquiring a rounded shape, but also vimentin presence in activated cells. The obtained result indicates a relationship between vimentin expression and activation of brain phagocytic cells.