Abstract
The effects of refeeding subsequent to starvation on the plasma cell population in the lamina propria of the small intestinal villi were studied in adult rats utilizing the immunohistochemical method to detect IgA, IgM and IgG. Under normal conditions of stimulation, intestinal plasma cells (IPC) occur only as a sparse population. However, the present study demonstrated that extensive hyperplasia of IPC could be induced by refeeding after starvation. Starvation for a period of 4 to 6 days alone produced only a small change in the IPC population. In contrast, refeeding subsequent to starvation (for 4 to 6 days) was accompanied by a large increase in the population of IPC: the proportions of these cells among the lamina propria cells often rose to more than 50% within 3 or 6 days. The large majority of the proliferating IPC were found to express IgA, whereas cells bearing IgM or IgG occurred in extremely small numbers in the lamina propria. The mechanism whereby extensive IPC hyperplasia can occur in response to refeeding after starvation is discussed in relation to the possible promotion of transmission of antigenic macromolecules across the mucosal barrier induced by this procedure. It is also suggested that the origin of the proliferating IPC may be correlated with the B cell precursors in the germinal centers of the Peyer's, patches, which are more resistant to starvation than other lymphoid cells.
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