title: Rat cardiac mast cell maturation and differentiation following acute ventricular volume overload.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac mast cell numbers increase significantly within 12 h following the creation of an aortocaval (AV) fistula in rats and play a central role in mediating adverse left ventricular remodeling. We studied whether this increase was related to maturation of resident immature mast cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured percentages of immature and mature cardiac mast cells at 1, 2 and 7 days following AV-fistula or sham surgery and in non-surgical control rats using the alcian-blue safranin reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to sham-operated and control rats, there was a significant shift from immature to a greater percentage of mature cardiac mast cells at 1 day and 2 days post-fistula that returned to a normal distribution by 7 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the acute increase in mast cell density following volume overload is due to a paracrine response in the heart that stimulates the maturation and differentiation of resident immature cardiac mast cells.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Developmental Biology & Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Brower
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Janicki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001011:Aorta; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D017835:Nedocromil / Q000494:pharmacology; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014684:Venae Cavae
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D017835:Nedocromil