Lymphoid tissues of the ileum in young horses: distribution, structure, and epithelium.
- Journal Article
Summary
The study delves into the structure and distribution of lymphoid tissues in the ileum of young horses, focusing on variations in the morphology of lymphoid follicles and the cells constituting the associated epithelium.
Lymphoid Tissues and their Distribution
The research examined the ileum, part of a horse’s small intestine, focusing on what are referred to as “ileal lymphoid patches”. These patches, visible on the mucosal surface, consist of varied types, sizes and positions of lymphoid tissues. Understanding their complexity helps in analyzing the immune response of horses’ digestive systems.
- These lymphoid patches were found occasionally along the mesenteric attachment site, which is where the ileum connects to the abdominal wall to steady the intestines.
Variations in Lymphoid Follicles
Lymphoid tissues encapsulate follicles, and these follicles occur in three main variations in horses which were identified as follicle/dome structures, proprial follicles, and lymphoglandular complexes (LGCs).
- Follicle/dome structures: These structures mostly occupy the submucosa or the layer beneath the mucosal surface, extending through an opening in the muscular layer to the lamina propria or the supportive tissue.
- Proprial follicles: Unlike follicle/dome structures, these follicles are wholly or majorly found in the lamina propria.
- Lymphoglandular complexes (LGCs): These are unique as the follicles in LGCs lie in the submucosa, but they connect with the intestinal lumen via a vertically extending epithelial invagination through an opening in the muscular layer. Though information about small intestine LGCs is limited, their large intestine counterparts are widely documented in numerous species.
Type of Epithelial Cells
The research identified various types of epithelial cells covering the follicles.
- Follicular structures and proprial follicles are covered by a follicle-associated epithelium comprising enterocytes, M cell-like entities, intraepithelial lymphocytes, goblet cells, and amine-precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) cells.
- LGCs, on the other hand, were primarily found to comprise immature enterocytes, intraepithelial lymphocytes and goblet cells. Cells that have coarse, long microvilli were also observed.
This research is an initial inquiry to identify common factors that promote LGC development in the horse’s ileum and other species’ large intestines. This will require further intensive studies.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Epithelial Cells
- Epithelium / ultrastructure
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Ileum / anatomy & histology
- Ileum / ultrastructure
- Lymphoid Tissue / anatomy & histology
- Lymphoid Tissue / ultrastructure
- Microscopy, Electron
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Models, Anatomic
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Citations
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