SPLEEN HISTOSTRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND FORMATION
Medical science
Keywords:
spleen , function, morpholpogy, vascular organization, cellular composition.Abstract
The spleen is the largest secondary immune organ in the body and is responsible for initiating immune reactions to blood-borne antigens and for filtering the blood of foreign material and old or damaged red blood cells. These functions are carried out by the 2 main compartments of the spleen, the white pulp (including the marginal zone) and the red pulp, which are vastly different in their architecture, vascular organization, and cellular composition. The morphology of these compartments is described and, to a lesser extent, their functions are discussed. The variation between species and effects of aging and genetics on splenic morphology are also discussed.
References
Balogh P, Horvath G, and Szakal AK. Immunoarchitecture of distinct reticular fibroblast- tic domains in the white pulp of mouse spleen. J Histochem Cytochem 2004;52:1287-98
Bell EB, Sparshott SM, Drayson MT, and Ford WL. The stable and permanent expansion of functional T lymphocytes in athymic nude rats after a single injection of mature T cells. J Immunol 1987;139:1379-84
Blue J and Weiss L. Electron microscopy of the red pulp of the dog spleen including vascular arrangements, periarterial macrophage sheaths (ellipsoids), and the contractile, innervated reticular meshwork. Am J Anat 1981;161:189-218
Cheung HT and Nadakavukaren MJ. Age-dependent changes in the cellularity and ultrastructure of the spleen of Fischer F344 rats. Mech Ageing Dev 1983;22:23-33
