Physiological dependency between the hypothalamus and the thymus of Wistar rats. V. 3H-thymidine incorporation by the organotypic culture of thymus in the presence of serotonin
Ficek, W.
Gegenbaurs Morphologisches Jahrbuch 129(5): 649-657
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-5840 PMID: 6654004 Document Number: 215257
Thymic glands of 7 d old Wistar rats were used for the experiments. 3H-thymidine incorporation after different culture periods and the histological alterations were studied. The obtained results show that the addition of serotonin (5-HT) at the concentration of 2 micrograms and 10 micrograms per ml of the culture medium decreases 3H-thymidine incorporation by DNA-synthesizing thymic cells. Serial histological sections prepared after 48 h of the culture revealed a lowered number of thymocytes which were regularly distributed over the entire area of the thymus, leading to the disappearance of a boundary between the cortical and medullary parts of the organ. The histochemical studies showed that in the thymic glands cultured in the presence of serotonin appeared numerous mast cells located mainly in the central parts of the gland.