Mononuclear cell thyroiditis in rats with graft-versus-host disease.
Rats with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), induced by injecting spleen cells of parental strain rats (Brown Norway) into non-irradiated (Brown Norway x Lewis) F1 hybrid rats, develop thyroiditis. This is characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration with destruction of the epithelium and a significant reduction in serum thyroid hormone levels. Immunohistochemically, the mononuclear cells consisted mainly of CD8-positive cells and macrophages. These findings provide evidence that the thyroid gland can now be enumerated as one of the target organs during GVHD. The CD8-positive cells may serve as important effector cells in lesion development, either by direct cytotoxicity or by supporting the cytotoxic potential of macrophages.
Fujiwara
K
K
Department of Oral Pathology, Ohu University School of Dentistry, Koriyama, Japan.
Peszkowski
M J
MJ
Larsson
A
A
Yamasaki
A
A
Toda
S
S
Watanabe
T
T
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000150:complications*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology