Vimentin-immunopositive cells in the rat telencephalon after experimental ischemic stroke.

The aim of the present work was to perform immunocytochemical studies of cells synthesizing the intermediate filament protein vimentin in the telencephalon of intact rats and rats subjected to unilateral permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, which models ischemic stroke. In the intact rat brain, vimentin-containing cells were seen in the brain barriers. At 14 days from occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, there were numerous vimentin-immunopositive cells in the perifocal damage zone, and these accounted for a significant proportion of the cells in the regenerating nervous tissue at the boundary with undamaged tissue. The subependymal proliferative zone contained a significant number of vimentin-negative small cells, located between the long processes of vimentin-immunopositive cells running towards the lesioned zone. These data provide evidence of the predominant location of vimentin-immunopositive brain cells (in both intact and lesioned animals) in the zones forming barrier structures.