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Etude ultrastructurale de l'épithélium bronchiolaire humain

Ultrastructural study of the human bronchiolar epithelium

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Summary

The human bronchiolar epithelium was studied on three lung biopsies. Four main types of cells were identified:

  1. 1.

    Ciliated cells in every respect identical to those present in the whole respiratory tree.

  2. 2.

    Non-ciliated cells, some with secretory features, corresponding to the Clara cells, the others cuboidal, distally situated, and related to the granular pneumocytes.

  3. 3.

    Brush cells characterized by peculiar apical microvilli. The authors assume that these cells have an absorptive or a sensorial function. Actually the demonstration of numerous basal corpuscles in their apical pole might lead to interprete them as ciliated cells in course of differentiation.

  4. 4.

    Chromaffine-type cells resting on the basement membrane and containing dense granules with a light halo, raising the same questions as the corresponding cells of the digestive tract.

Résumé

L'épithélium bronchiolaire humain a été étudié sur 3 biopsies pulmonaires. Quatre types cellulaires principaux peuvent être identifiés.

  1. 1.

    Des cellules ciliées en tous points identiques à celles présentes sur toute la hauteur de l'arbre respiratoire.

  2. 2.

    Des cellules non ciliées, les unes possédant des caractères sécrétoires et correspondant aux cellules de Clara, les autres cubiques, très distales, et apparentées aux pneumocytes granuleux.

  3. 3.

    Des cellules ≪à brosse≫ caractérisées par la présence à leur pôle apical de microvillosités ayant conduit à leur supposer un rôle d'absorption ou de réception sensorielle. En fait, la présence de nombreux corpuscules basaux pourrait les faire interpréter comme des cellules ciliées en voie de différenciation.

  4. 4.

    Des cellules de type chromaffine situées contre la membrane basale et contenant des grains denses entourés d'un halo clair, posant les mêmes problèmes que celles du tube digestif.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de recherches U82 de l'INSERM, Hôpital Bichat, Paris

    F. Basset, J. Poirier, M. Le Crom & J. Turiaf

  2. Département d'Histologie, Faculté de Médecine de Créteil, France

    F. Basset, J. Poirier, M. Le Crom & J. Turiaf

Authors
  1. F. Basset
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  2. J. Poirier
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  3. M. Le Crom
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  4. J. Turiaf
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Additional information

Travail dédié à la mémoire de Nicole Granboulan.

Chargé de recherche à l'INSERM.

Nous tenons à remercier MM. B. Kreis et H. Le Brigand qui nous ont procuré plusieurs biopsies; MM. W. Bernhard, A. Collet et R. Couteaux, pour leurs conseils et leurs critiques.

Collaboration technique: A. M. Blond, P. Durand.

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Basset, F., Poirier, J., Le Crom, M. et al. Etude ultrastructurale de l'épithélium bronchiolaire humain. Z. Zellforsch. 116, 425–442 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330637

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330637

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