Usefulness of some primary anti-human antibodies in immunohistochemistry in guinea pig.

The commercially available antibodies for immunohistochemical purposes, though numerous and diversified, are mostly designed to detect human antigens. This study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of anti-human antigen antibodies in guinea pig tissues. The subjects of our interest were mostly skin and striated muscles and it was important for us to stain vascular and neural elements and to visualize separate cell kinds, including also skin Langerhans cells and the cells, contributing to inflammatory infiltrations.

Expression of tissue transglutaminase in blood and lymphatic vessel endothelia and in mesothelium.

This study was undertaken to evaluate tissue transglutaminase (TG2) expression in guinea pig tissues, using an antibody against the guinea pig liver TG2. The tests were performed by means of a few immunohistochemical methods in specimens from: gut, skin, the lungs, lymph nodes, the heart, the thymus, the spleen, skeletal muscles of control guinea pigs and from inflamed skeletal muscles and skin. TG2 expression was found in artery, vein and lymphatic vessel endothelia, in mesothelia of pleura, pericardium and peritoneum, and in smooth muscle cells. Spleen deserves a special attention, since this organ, especially rich in TG2, may be much more involved in celiac disease and in liver diseases than it has been accepted so far. The subject calls for further elucidation.

Pre-operative levels of serum immunoglobulins, circulating immune complexes and complement proteins in patients with different types of neoplasms.

In the sera of 30 neoplasm patients without metastases, the average IgG level was higher than in the control group (CG) (18.16+/-5.10 vs. 12.62+/-2.14 g/l or 12.22+/-2.14 after excluding an outier). Average concentrations of circulating immune complexes (CIC), IgM, complement 1 inhibitor (Cli), C3c and C4 did not statistically differ between the groups. Dividing the patients' group into: breast or ovary cancer (BC), melanoma (M), digestive tract cancer (DT) and other neoplasms (ON) subgroups revealed that the IgG increase did not apply to the BC group. Relatively decreased CIC concentrations in the BC and DT group and an increased Cli in the DT group were found. Several diversities detected in the humoral immunity indices' distributions and correlations suggest activation of different mechanisms depending on the neoplasm types.

Serum TNF-alpha level in the neoplasm patients qualified for surgical treatment.

The aim of the study was to analyze serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in patients with different neoplasm types qualified for surgical treatment and to evaluate their possible correlations with circulating immune complexes (CIC), IgG, IgM, and the complement (C) compounds: C1 inhibitor (C1i), C3c and C4 levels. Studies were performed in sera from 30 neoplasm patients before surgical treatment and in 10 persons from a control group (CG) with no malignancy. Serum TNF-alpha levels were measured with the Cytogen ELISA kit. Average TNF-alpha levels measured in neoplastic patient groups qualified for surgical treatment were not significantly different from the average TNF-alpha level in the CG group.

Immunohistochemical demonstration of beta-endorphin in guinea pig sebaceous glands of normal skin and during immune inflammation.

Very suggestive evidence for possible role of beta-endorphin (BE) in immune activity has been continuously accumulated in the literature in spite of contradictory results about the involvement of the opiate system in immunological response. The reversed passive Arthus reaction (RPAR) was performed in the dorsal area of the guinea pig skin and immunohistochemical PAP method was applied for visualisation of BE. The positive BE immunoreactivity was observed in sebaceous gland cells (SGC) , mainly localized in the middle layer of the glands, both in the normal and experimental skin. The maximal intensity of immunoreactivity to BE in SGC during RPAR was stronger than normal. In control skin, 50% of SGC revealed positive immunoreactivity comparing to 60-66% in the late phase of RPAR. Sebaceous glands (SGs) probably take part in local homeostasis in the skin, also during immune inflammation.

Light and electron microscopic examination of skeletal muscles in the reversed passive Arthus reaction.

The reversed passive Arthus reaction (RPAR) was performed in the dorsal area of the skin and skeletal muscles of the pelvic girdle of male guinea pigs. Biopsies were taken 3, 24 and 48 hours after antibody administration. In the dermal type of RPAR attention was paid to the structure of striated muscles of the subcutaneous panniculus carnosus. Histological and electron microscopic studies were performed. Changes in the dermal RPAR were more rapid and more intensive than those directly in the muscles. In both types of RPAR the affected muscle fibres demonstrated vacuolar and hyaline degeneration, segmental necrosis, internal nuclei, cellular infiltration, phagocytosis and regeneration in the late phase of reaction. Neutrophils predominated in the infiltrations after 3 hrs but after 24 and 48 hrs the main cells were macrophages and lymphocytes. Ultrastructural studies showed various stages of damage to the mitochondria, dispersion and disruption of the myofibrils and formation of tubular structures. A similar morphological appearance is characteristic of polymyositis (pm) and dermatomyositis (dm) suggesting a similar i.e. immune complex mechanism of muscle fibre damage in RPAR and in pm and dm.