Abstract
Ependymal cells are known to react to pathological conditions, but only a few studies describing their reactive changes have been reported. In the present report the reaction of ependymal cells to stab injuries in adult rat brains was studied by the immunoperoxidase method using antiserum to astroprotein.
Although astroprotein is thought specific for astroglial cytoplasm and not present in ordinary, flat ependymal cells, the immunoperoxidase method demonstrated strong astroprotein immunoreactivity in the ependymal cells located close to the stab wound. These ependymal cells were cylindrical or tall cuboidal in shape and resembled tanycytes or developing ependymal cells which show positive immunostaining for astroprotein as well.
These findings suggest that ependymal cells react to simple stab injuries and regain the morphological as well as immunocytochemical characteristics of the more embryonic type of ependymal cells.
