Brief Article
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 14, 2009; 15(10): 1246-1253
Published online Mar 14, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.1246
Morphology and ontogeny of dendritic cells in rats at different development periods
Yi-Jun Zhou, Juan Gao, Hua-Mei Yang, Jian-Xin Zhu, Tong-Xin Chen, Zhen-Juan He
Yi-Jun Zhou, Hua-Mei Yang, Jian-Xin Zhu, Tong-Xin Chen, Zhen-Juan He, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092, China
Juan Gao, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China; Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092, China
Author contributions: Zhou YJ and He ZJ designed the research; Zhou YJ, Gao J, Yang HM performed the research; Zhu JX and Chen TX contributed new reagents; Zhou YJ, Gao J and He ZJ analyzed data; Zhou YJ wrote the paper; All authors are involved in the writing, critically reviewed and approved the paper.
Correspondence to: Zhen-Juan He, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200092, China. hezhenjuan@gmail.com
Telephone: +86-21-65790000
Fax: +86-21-65795173
Received: August 22, 2008
Revised: November 13, 2008
Accepted: November 20, 2008
Published online: March 14, 2009
Abstract

AIM: To study the morphology and ontogeny of dendritic cells of Peyer’s patches in rats at different development periods.

METHODS: The morphometric and flow cytometric analyses were performed to detect all the parameters of villous-crypts axis and the number of OX62+DC, OX62+CD4+SIRP+DC, and OX62+CD4-SIRP-DC in the small intestine in different groups of rats. The relationship between the parameters of villous-axis and the number of DC and DC subtype were analyzed.

RESULTS: All morphometric parameters changed significantly with the development of pups in the different age groups (F = 10.751, 12.374, 16.527, 5.291, 3.486; P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.001, 0.015). Villous height levels were unstable and increased from 115.24 &mgr;m to 140.43 &mgr;m as early as 3 wk postpartum. Villous area increased significantly between 5 and 7 wk postpartum, peeked up to 13817.60 &mgr;m2 at 7 wk postpartum. Villous height and crypt depth ratios were relatively stable and increased significantly from 2.80 ± 1.01 to 4.54 ± 1.56, 9-11 wk postpartum. The expression of OX62+DC increased from 33.30% ± 5.80% to 80% ± 17.30%, 3-11 wk postpartum (F = 5.536, P = 0.0013). OX62+CD4+SIRP+DC subset levels detected in single-cell suspensions of rat total Peyer’s patch dendritic cells (PP-DCs) increased significantly from 30.73% ± 5.16% to 35.50% ± 4.08%, 5-7 wk postpartum and from 34.20% ± 1.35% to 43.60% ± 2.07% 9-11 wk postpartum (F = 7.216, P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION: This study confirms the age-related changes in villous-crypt axis differentiation in the small intestine. Simultaneously, there are also development and maturation in rat PP-DCs phenotypic expression. Furthermore, the morphological changes of intestinal mucosa and the development of immune cells (especially DC) peaked at 9-11 wk postpartum, indicating that the intestinal mucosae reached a relatively mature state at 11 wk postpartum.

Keywords: Intestinal mucosa, Dendric cell, Peyer’s patches, Intestinal development