IgA antibodies in rat bile are not solely derived from thoracic duct lymph.

The IgA level in rat bile was significantly decreased by drainage of the thoracic duct, and passively administered IgA antibodies to Escherichia coli O antigen decreased similarly. In contrast, specific IgA antibodies against E. coli O antigen raised by immunization in the Peyer's patches did not diminish significantly in the bile. Rats immunized in the Peyer's patches with sheep erythrocytes had IgA-forming cells in the thoracic lymph nodes, in the mesenteric lymph nodes, and in the spleen. Perfusion of the liver of immunized animals significantly decreased the bile levels of the IgA antibodies. It seems that IgA antibodies reach the bile not only via the thoracic duct but also via lymph ducts originating from thoracic lymph glands and the spleen.