Immune cell subpopulations in regenerated splenic tissue in rats.
BACKGROUND
Asplenic patients have an increased risk of infections. Operations such as autotransplantation or splenic artery ligation have been suggested to ensure retention of functional splenic tissue after splenectomy, but their protective value is unclear. Immune responses, such as production of antibody, remain impaired in humans and animals even when such tissue is present, and phagocytosis is less efficient than by normal spleen tissue. In the present study the cellular composition of regenerated tissue is determined.


METHODS
Splenic tissue was obtained from rats 6-9 months after splenic autotransplantation, splenic artery ligation or sham operation. The lymphocyte and macrophage subpopulations were labelled using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and analysed by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Both the total number of cells and the number of cells per gram of tissue were significantly reduced. There was a substantial reduction in the percentage of some of the cells examined (CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes subsets), but not all (B lymphocytes, ED1+ and ED2+ macrophages, OX2+ and OX6+ cells).


CONCLUSIONS
The reduction in the T lymphocyte subsets in regenerated splenic tissue compared with the normal spleen might explain the immunological dysfunction which persists after splenic autotransplantation. The reduction in the number of macrophages may be responsible for the alteration in phagocytic efficiency of regenerated splenic tissue.
Smith
E
E
Department of Surgery, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
De Young
N J
NJ
Drew
P A
PA
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002452:Cell Count; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008264:Macrophages; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal