Immunohistologic localization of laminin in chronicity of murine hepatic schistosomiasis mansoni

ABSTRACT

The distribution of the high molecular weight glycoprotein laminin in the liver of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni has been studied by indirect immunofluorescence using type specific antibodies. The deposition of laminin was evaluated semi quantitatively between the 3rd and 20th weeks of infection. Laminin was found to increase at 8th week after infection. It was located in the walls of the central veins, hepatic sinusoids and subendothelial basement membrane of hepatic artery and portal veins. In contrast to types I and III collagen and the same like types IV and V collagen, laminin was absent from the Schistosoma periovular granuloma. Only few new blood vessels located at the edge of the granuloma showed positive fluorescence with laminin