Lymphocyte subsets in the white pulp of human spleen in normal and diseased cases.

The distribution of T and B lymphocytes and their subsets in the white pulp of human spleens extirpated from patients with cancer of the digestive tract and those with portal hypertension was examined with the appliance of monoclonal antibodies. T lymphocytes were distributed in the core of lymphatic sheath protuberance (Matsumoto), while the mantle zone of lymphatic nodule and germinal center were solely occupied by B lymphocytes. On the other hand, both T and B lymphocytes were found in the cortical zone of lymphatic sheath protuberance and outer and inner layer of lymphatic nodule. The ratio of both cells differed from one case to the other. The majority of T lymphocytes in the core of lymphatic sheath protuberance and those localized in the light region of germinal center were helper T cells. Although the lymphatic sheaths in cases with portal hypertension were narrower than those in the controls, there was no difference in the distribution density of T cells between the two groups. Hardly any B lymphocytes were found in the cortical zone of lymphatic sheath protuberance, while the mixture of T lymphocytes tended to become prominent in the outer and inner layer of lymphatic nodule in those cases.