Observation on destroyed architecture of splenic lymphoid follicles in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum by immunohistochemistry

Abstract

Objective To observe the destroyed architecture of splenic lymphoid follicles in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum by immunohistochemistry. Methods The mice infected with S. japonicum (20 cercariae/mouse) for 8 weeks were sacrificed, and the splenic samples were paraffin embedded and sliced. The sections were first stained by hematoxylin and eosin to observe the massive structure of splenic lymphoid follicles, and then B cells, follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and germinal center cells were labeled with anti-B220, anti-CD21 or anti-Ki67 antibodies respectively by immunohistochemistry to observe the distribution of the specific cells of lymphoid follicles. Results The results of HE staining showed that the structure of lymphoid follicles in spleens of infected mice was blurred, the number and area of follicles were significantly reduced compared to those of the normal mice. The immunohistochemical staining showed that the splenic T/B lymphocyte segregation, FDC network and germinal centers of the infected mice all disappeared. Conclusion The structure of splenic lymphoid follicles in the mice infected with S. japonicum is obviously damaged.