Summary
Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of transferrin receptors (Tf-R) in the central nervous system. The present study of Wistar rats with experimentally induced brain injuries, using immunohistochemistry at the light microscopy level, demonstrated the presence of Tf-R in regenerated endothelial cells, reactive astrocytes and in other cells, probably macrophages. Although Tf-R were seen in proliferating cells, Tf-R were also observed in nonproliferating cells, many of them macrophages. The receptors perhaps bind transferrin in edema fluid and play an important role in lesion repair.
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Orita, T., Akimura, T., Nishizaki, T. et al. Transferrin receptors in injured brain. Acta Neuropathol 79, 686–688 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294248
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294248