Morphological changes in the thymus and composition of its cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes were studied in experiments on C57Bl/6 mice with sodium dextran sulfate-induced acute ulcerative colitis. Severe acute ulcerative colitis in rats was accompanied by stage III-IV accidental involution of the thymus. This state was characterized by inversion of the layers, death of thymocytes, and increase in the number and area of thymic corpuscles from CK19+ epithelial cells. Flow cytofluorometry revealed an increase in the relative number of F4/80+ macrophages in the thymus stroma and CD4—CD8—CD45+CD11c+ dendritic cells and CD326+UEA+CD205— epithelial cells in the medulla. By contrast, the count of CD326+UEA—CD205+ epithelial cells remained unchanged in the cortex. Accidental involution of the thymus was accompanied by an increase in the number of apoptotic AnnV+PI— cells, but decrease in the count of lymphocytes, CD3—CD19+ B lymphocytes, CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, immature CD4+CD8+ lymphocytes, and CD3+CD4+ T helpers. The level of peripheral blood endotoxin in adult male C57Bl/6 mice with fibrinous ulcerative colitis was 10-fold lower than in the control. Moreover, we observed a decrease in the absolute number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, CD3+CD4+ T helpers, CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes, and CD3—CD19+ B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of animals.
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Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 163, No. 5, pp. 641-646, May, 2017
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Makarova, O.V., Postovalova, E.A. Morphological Changes in the Thymus, Composition of Its Cells, and Subpopulations of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes during Experimental Acute Ulcerative Colitis. Bull Exp Biol Med 163, 681–686 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-017-3878-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-017-3878-8