Comparative characteristics of brain microvessels from 22-month-old wild- type C57BL/6 control (A) and ApoE4 transgenic (B–D) mice. Wild-type mouse microvessels reveal minimal edema in perivascular regions and relatively few mitochondrial abnormalities. ApoE4 microvessels display dystrophic changes in the vascular endothelium (B) and an amyloid-like precipitate in perivascular areas (double arrow) that coexist with large vacuolar structures (triple arrow). Microvessels with atherosclerotic changes (C) in the perivascular area contain large foam cells (asterisk) and lipid droplets (double arrow). Large lipid droplets (single asterisk) and amyloid deposits (double asterisk) in the cytoplasm of perivascular cells (D). EC display dystrophic changes in their organelles especially in the mitochondria.
Magnification: A) 12,000; B) 8,000; C) 6,000; D) 12,000. Abbreviations used in figures: EC-Endothelial cells; N-Nucleus, VL-Vessel Lumen.