Characterization of intracellular amyloid fibrils in the human choroid plexus epithelial cells

Abstract

Intracellular inclusions with staining properties of amyloid are very common in the aging choroid plexus epithelial cells. In many ways these inclusions show similarities with the neurofibrillary tangles, found in cerebral cortical neurons in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. We have now designed a purification method for choroid plexus amyloid and performed a transmission and scanning electron microscopic study. This shows that one form of choroid plexus inclusions, the Biondi ring, is a homogeneous globule covered with a thin layer of amyloid fibrils. Partial immunochemical characterization of the choroid plexus amyloid reveals that it is different from the neurofibrillary tangles although there are similarities.