The effects of LPS on the cellular composition of the splenic white pulp in responder C3H/He and non-responder C3H/HeJ mice

Abstract
The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of LPS on the cellular composition of the splenic white pulp in responder C3H/He and non-responder C3H/HeJ mice. The present results show that an intravenous injection of LPS in C3H/He mice results in a number of prominent changes in the histology of the spleen, but none of these histological changes could be demonstrated in the unresponsive C3H/ HeJ mice. However, the present study shows that LPS administration resulted in the disappearance of previously trapped immune complexes from the follicles in both responder C3H/He and non-responder C3H/ HeJ mice. The significance of this phenomenon is discussed. The localization of intravenously injected LPS in both mouse strains was compared using an immunoperoxidase technique. Most of the injected LPS was taken up by marginal zone macrophages at 2 h after administration. No major differences could be detected in the localization pattern of LPS between C3H/He and C3H/HeJ mice. The present results support the suggestion that the genetically based unresponsiveness of C3H/HeJ mice could be due to an intracellular defect in their response to LPS.