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Interzelluläre Kontakte bei chronischer Rhinosinusitis und ihre mögliche Bedeutung

Eine licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchung

Intercellular contacts in chronic rhinosinusitis and their possible significance

A light and electron microscopic investigation

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Summary

It is generally accepted, that immunological reactions are decisive for the development and course of chronic rhinosinusitis in man. The central feature of an immune response is the interaction of antigen and the immuncompetent cells. For the complete reaction however there is a requirement for a variety of cellular interactions. These may occur not only among various classes of lymphocytes, but also between lymphocytes and “accessory” cells, such as mononuclear and polynuclear leukocytes. Many functional studies have shown, that lymphocytes and macrophages cooperate during the immune response. Some data suggest, that the cellulare cooperation require physical contact between the immuncompetent cells, especially between lymphocytes and macrophages.

Biopsies from 40 patients with nasal polyps resp. chronic rhinosinusitis from the nose ore from the paranasal sinuses were examined by light and electron microscopy. The skin tests for inhalative allergens were negative. A cluster formation of different cells, especially of lymphocytes and macrophages, could often be observed (Figs. 1, 2, 3). These cell-clusters were very obvious in nasal polyps of the edematous type, where other cells are relatively rare. In spite of the occurrence of all kinds of physical contacts between different cells, close contacts were mostly found between two to five macrophages resp. lymphoid cells. Sometimes a mitosis can be observed during adherence suggesting a proliferative stimulation (Fig. 1C). The contact areas are usually small and mainly performed by microvilli respectively by fingerlike processes of the surface membrane (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5). Larger contact areas are seldom found (Fig. 3A). Fusions of the cell membranes or cytplasmic flow between the adherent cells could not be observed. Only in one case we found electron dense structures within the contact areas (Fig. 3B).

For better visualization we made in addition in-vitro studies on lymphoid cells of the peripheral blood. Contacts between lymphoid cells by fingerlike processes could clearly be demonstrated by a replica-technique in the transmission electron microscope (Fig. 4B) and by a normal coating technique in the scanning electron microscope (Fig. 5B).

Although the exact nature of these demonstrated cellular associations remains obscure, their occurence both, in vivo and in vitro, in humans and in animals, often in relation to defined functional events, suggest physiologic and immunologic significance. Modells for cellular interactions involving cellular contacts in humoral (Fig. 6) and in cellular immunity (Fig. 7) were presented. The possible significance of the cellular interactions found in chronic rinosinusitis is discussed.

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  1. Univ.-Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenkrankheiten, Graz, Österreich

    K. W. Albegger & G. P. Tilz

  2. Univ.-Klinik für Innere Medizin, Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 20, A-8036, Graz, Österreich

    K. W. Albegger & G. P. Tilz

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Herrn Hofrat Dr. F. Grasenick zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet

Die transmissions- und rasterelektronenmikroskopischen Untersuchungen, die im Zentrum für Elektronenmikroskopie, Graz (Leiter: w. Hofrat Dr. F. Grasenick) durchgeführt wurden, sind durch den Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung in Österreich ermöglicht worden. Für die technische Hilfe danken wir Herrn Ing. A. Aldrian.

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Albegger, K.W., Tilz, G.P. Interzelluläre Kontakte bei chronischer Rhinosinusitis und ihre mögliche Bedeutung. Arch Otorhinolaryngol 215, 265–282 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00463064

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