title: Cell-mediated immune response after vasectomy in rats.
abstract: This study investigated the development of a cell-mediated immune response after vasectomy in Swiss Albino rats, by comparing the development of the thymus-dependent lymphoid tissue of the regional testicular lymph node and the spleen in vasectomized and in sham-operated control animals. Frozen sections were used and thymus-dependent regions were stained by immunocytochemistry. After vasectomy, the areas occupied by the paracortex in the lymph node sections showed a significant increase in size; the thymus-dependent regions of the spleen, in contrast, showed no change. The regional lymph node, rather than the spleen, seems to be important in cell-mediated and humoral immune responses to vasectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halliday
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D005629:Frozen Sections; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014659:Vasectomy