Acute lethal graft-versus-host disease stimulates cellular proliferation in Peyer's Patches and follicle associated ileal epithelium of adult rats.
In this study cell proliferation in Peyer's Patches (PP) and the crypts of Lieberkuhn of the follicle-associated ileal epithelium was analyzed during the development of acute lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in adult rats. In addition, the effect of thymectomy on GVHD-induced lymphoproliferation was determined by analyzing the 3H-thymidine labeling index in neonatally thymectomized-control and thymectomized-GVHD rats. A significant increase in the 3H-thymidine-labeling index was found in interfollicular (days 2-7), dome (days 5-10), and follicular (days 5-12) regions of PP as well as in associated ileal crypts (days 5-12) of GVHD rats as compared with controls. Thymectomy altered the proliferative response in PP of GVHD rats in that incorporation of 3H-thymidine by follicular and interfollicular cells was significantly lower than in sham-thymectomized GVHD controls during the later stages of the disease. The results suggest a possible role for host thymus-dependent cells in stimulation of or participation in cell proliferation within follicular and interfollicular areas of PP.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D007082:Ileum / Q000473:pathology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013934:Thymectomy