Studies on the Pathology of Dicrocoeliasis and Fascioliasis in the Goat II. The Histochemistry of Bile-Duct Mucosubstances

Abstract

Histochemical studies were made on the characteristics of carbohydrate-rich compounds in the bile-duct mucosa of goats infected either with Dicrocoelium dendriticum or with Fasciola hepatica. In a previous study the author showed that a chronic infection with these parasites produces glandular hyperplasia in the walls of bile ducts. This study revealed a definitely increased secretion of qualitatively normal mucosubstances by the hyperplastic epithelial cells. Epithelial mucosubstances in the bile-duct walls were characterized by the presence of periodate-reactive hydroxy groups and both carboxyl and sulphate radicals. The intensity of the PAS reaction was moderate or strong and not definitely inhibited by the acidic or acetyl radicals. Specific enzymatic digestions did not reveal periodate-reactivity produced by glycogen or basophilia due to hyaluronic acid or chondroitin-4 and -6-sulphates in the epithelial cells. On the other hand, sialidase digestion showed that the main part of the carboxymucins was sialidase-labile sialomucins. Their susceptibility towards sialidase was not definitely increased after deacetylation. The single and sequential histochemical methods showed a more intense staining reaction for sulphate radicals in the mucosubstances of the deep glandular and goblet cells than in those of the superficial glands, which were characterized by high concentration of carboxyl groups. Histokemiska undersokningar med avseende pa bestammandet av karaktaren hos kolhydrat-rika substanser i gallgangarnas slemhinna hos get infekterad med Dicroeoelium dendriticum eller med Fasciola hepatica presenteras. Forfattaren har enligt en tidigare undersokning visat att en kronisk infektion med dessa parasiter framkallar en kortelartad hyperplasi i gallgangsvaggarna. Denna undersokning visade aven en definitivt tilltagande sekretion av kvalitativt normala mukosubstanser fran hyperplastiska epitelceller. Epiteliala mukosubstanser i gallgangsvaggarna var karakteriserade genom perjodat-reaktiva hydroxy grupper och genom carboxyl och sulfat radikaler. Intensiteten av PAS-reaktionen var moderat eller stark och inte definitivt inhiberad av de sura och acetyl-radikalerna. Specifika enzymatiska digestioner visade i epitelceller inte nagon perjodat-reaktivitet producerad av glykogen och ingen basofili framkailad av hyaluronsyra eller chondroitin-4 och -6-sulfater. Daremot visade sialidase-digestionen att storsta delen av karboxymucinerna representerade sialidase-labila sialomuciner. Dessas labilitet mot sialidase blev inte definitivt okad efter deacetyleringen. De enkla och sekventiella histokemiska metoderna visade en intensivare reaktion for sulfat radikaler i mukosubstanser hos profunda kjortlar och bagarceller an hos mukosubstanser i de superficiella kortlarna, som karakteriserades genom hoga koncentrationer med carboxyl grupper.