Ultrastructural observation of ependymal epithelium of lateral ventricle and its choroid plexus in rats

The ultrastructural features and functions of ependymal epithelium of lateral ventricle and its choroid plexus in rats were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Results of the scanning electron microscopy study: The ependymal cells of lateral ventricle observed from the free surface were unregular polygon with many cilia, microvilli and occasionally secretory vesicles. There were many microvilli, secretory vesicles and few cilia on the surface of choroid plexus epithelium. Epiplexus cells aslo could be found. Observation of transmission electron microscopy: The epithelium of lateral ventricle and its choroid plexus were both simple cuboidal epithelium, but with two kinds of obviously different ultrastructure. Cilia, microvilli and few secretory vesicles could be found on the free surface of ependymal cells in lateral ventricle, while microvilli on choroid plexus epithelium were abundant and formed labyrinthic web, with its terminal swelling into microapocrinic vesicles. The ultrastructural difference between the epithelium of floor and choroid plexus of lateral ventricle in rats inflected their functional difference. The study suggested that the lateral ventricle choroid plexus was the mian part of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) secretion. At the same time, microapocrine may be the main mode of CSF formation in lateral ventricle, besides the active transportation of the epithelium of choroid plexus.