Association between age-related changes in rat choroid plexus and lipofuscin accumulation in epithelial cells
- Authors: Kirik O.V.1, Alekseeva O.S.1,2, Fayzov M.S.1, Fedorova E.A.1, Beketova A.A.1, Korzhevsky D.E.1
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Affiliations:
- Institute of Experimental Medicine
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: Vol 164, No 1 (2026)
- Pages: 47-53
- Section: Original Study Articles
- URL: https://ogarev-online.ru/1026-3543/article/view/373765
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/morph.677801
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/NFJDHG
- ID: 373765
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: The choroid plexus of the brain, the primary source of cerebrospinal fluid, consists of an inner stromal compartment and an outer epithelium. Epithelial cells renew slowly and, like other brain cells, can accumulate lipofuscin with age. Such age-related changes in laboratory animals, whose lifespan is considerably shorter than that of humans, have not previously been described.
AIM: The work aimed to test the hypothesis that epithelial cells of rat choroid plexus accumulate lipofuscin as they age.
METHODS: The study used male Wistar rats of different ages: 4–5 months (n = 3), 18 months (n = 3), and 28 months (n = 3). The presence of lipofuscin in tissues was assessed on paraffin-embedded brain sections using confocal microscopy based on its autofluorescence properties.
RESULTS: The study found that lipofuscin accumulates in the choroid plexus epithelium of rats as they age.
CONCLUSION: Further research into conditions and experimental factors that slow lipofuscin accumulation could aid in the development of novel medical technologies and drug products aimed at delaying aging of brain structures.
Keywords
About the authors
Olga V. Kirik
Institute of Experimental Medicine
Author for correspondence.
Email: olga_kirik@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6113-3948
SPIN-code: 5725-8742
Cand. Sci. (Biology)
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgOlga S. Alekseeva
Institute of Experimental Medicine; Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Email: osa72@inbox.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5688-347X
SPIN-code: 4281-3091
Cand. Sci. (Biology)
Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg; Saint PetersburgMurodali S. Fayzov
Institute of Experimental Medicine
Email: fayzov-1994@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0001-3411-3412
Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg
Elena A. Fedorova
Institute of Experimental Medicine
Email: el-fedorova2014@ya.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0190-885X
SPIN-code: 5414-4122
Cand. Sci. (Biology)
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgAnastasiya A. Beketova
Institute of Experimental Medicine
Email: beketova.anastasiya@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0002-8659-733X
SPIN-code: 6780-2677
Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg
Dmitrii E. Korzhevsky
Institute of Experimental Medicine
Email: dek2@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2456-8165
SPIN-code: 3252-3029
Dr. Sci. (Medicine), professor
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgReferences
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