Regional Differences in T-and B- cell subpopulations from the respiratory tract of Wistar rats

GUSTAVO A. SOSA; MARÍA G. MÁRQUEZ; MARÍA E. ROUX

Nutrition and Immunology in the 21st Century

TSAR Health

Lugar: New Dehli; Año: 2004; p. 191 - 195

In the respiratory tract of rodents there are two tissues belonging to the common mucosal immune system: nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) and bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT). The aim of the present study was to determine the alterations provoked in NALT and BALT by a secondary immunodeficiency due to severe protein deprivation at weaning, followed by a 21-day refeeding period with a 20% casein diet (R21), when compared with age-matched control rats fed a commercial diet containing 23% of protein (C60). Only in R21 NALT there is: 1) a decrease of CD4+ T cells not accompanied by a decrease of IgA+ B cells; 2) no significant difference in the CD8a+ subpopulation with respect to the C60 group; and that 3) both TCRab+ and TCRgd+ subpopulations remained decreased. These differences in the repopulation of NALT and BALT in this experimental model of secondary immunodeficiency are indicative of a compartmentalization in the respiratory tract.