A comparison of the metalophilic reticuloendothelial cells to cells containing acid phosphatase and non-specific esterase in the lymphoid nodules of normal and stimulated rat spleens
✍ Scribed by Pettersen, James C.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1964
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 680 KB
- Volume
- 149
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0003-276X
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✦ Synopsis
This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between Marshall's metalophilic reticular cells and the cells exhibiting non-specific esterase and acid phosphatase activity in the rat spleen. Untreated and stimulated animals were used. Observations were made chiefly on the marginal metalophils of Snook. These cells showed strong acid phosphatase activity but only slight non-specific esterase activity in untreated animals, Following stimulation non-specific esterase activity increased in these cells. Within the nodules metalophilic reticular cells were always more numerous than cells with enzyme activity. Many of these metalophilic cells developed enzyme activity following stimulation. By the use of a restaining technique it was shown that all reticular cells possessing enzyme activity were also metalophilic but that the converse was not true. No mitotic activity was present in these cells.
The results suggest that Marshall's metalophils are cells of the reticuloendothelial system in various stages of maturation and that, following stimulation, they may differentiate into mature phagocytic cells.