Decreased phagocytic capacity of autotransplanted splenic tissue.
BACKGROUND
Asplenic patients have an increased risk of infections. Operations such as autotransplantation have been proposed to restore functional splenic tissue after splenectomy, but the protective value of this tissue is unclear. Immune responses such as production of antibody remain impaired in humans and animals even when such tissue is present, and clearance of particles from the blood is reported to be less efficient than by normal spleen tissue. The present study investigated the phagocytic capacity of cells in the regenerated tissue in vitro, free of the confounding effects of hepatic clearance.


METHODS
Single cell suspensions were prepared from splenic tissue from rats 6 months after splenic autotransplantation or sham operation. Phagocytosis of killed, fluorescein-labelled bacteria was measured by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Autotransplanted tissue contained fewer phagocytic cells than normal tissue, and these cells phagocytosed less per cell. Phagocytosis by spleen cells was dependent on heat-labile opsonic factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Autotransplanted splenic tissue does not restore the phagocytic capacity lost following splenectomy.
Smith
Eric
E
Department of Surgery, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
J  De Young
Neville
N
Drew
Paul A
PA
D000818:Animals; D007154:Immune System Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods*