Studies on the vascular drainage system of the hamster buccal pouch

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Abstract
Because some investigators feel that the hamster buccal pouch is an immune privileged site with no lymphatic drainage, this study was done to demonstrate and further elucidate a drainage system from the pouch to the cervical nodes. Eight hamsters were injected with india ink, submucosally in the right pouch. Dissections at one or 2 days revealed ink in macrophages in the right submandibular nodes at 2 days. Histologically, the ink was noted within macrophages which aggregated around blood vessels. No lymph vessels were noted in the pouch. Six hamsters were injected with fluorochrome‐labelled latex microspheres. At 2 and at 4 days the microspheres were noted in both the pouches and the ipsilateral submandibular nodes. The results indicate there is a delayed lymphatic drainage from cheek pouches to the submandibular nodes mediated by macrophages.