Identification of lymphatic vessels by using a monoclonal antibody specific for the human thoracic duct.
Light microscopic identification of lymphatic vessels of the human small intestine was studied immuno-histochemically with a monoclonal antibody specific for human thoracic duct (mAb-D) and rabbit anti-human laminin antibody (anti-L). Two types of vessels were observed with anti-L; one strongly reacted with regularly outlined vessels and the other weakly reacted with irregularly outlined vessels and thin walls. Immunoreactivity to mAb-D was strong in the weakly reacting vessels, and the strongly reacting vessels did not react to mAb-D. Immunoreactivity of lymphatic vessels to anti-L has been reported to be weaker than that of the blood vessels; only irregularly outlined vessels which were weakly immunostained with anti-L reacted to mAb-D and no cross-reaction to mAb-D was observed in the regularly outlined vessels. This indicates that the vessels strongly reacting with anti-L are blood vessels and the vessels immunostained with mAb-D must be lymphatics. The study shows that it is possible to identify lymphatic vessels light microscopically by mAb-D. This method will be useful in studying the fine distribution of lymphatic vessels in normal tissue and also in pathological tissue such as metastasis of malignant tumors.
Sawa
Y
Y
Department of Oral Anatomy I, Hokkaido University School of Dentistry, Sapporo, Japan.
Mukaida
A
A
Suzuki
M
M
Yoshida
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000737:chemistry*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal