Intercellular junctions between macrophages in the regional lymph node of the rat after injection of large doses of steroids.

Intercellular junctions were often found between macrophages in sinuses of regional lymph nodes of the rat after injection of large doses of cholesterol, cortisone acetate, and estrone at the footpad. They were identified by subplasmalemmal densities, 20-50 nm in width, beneath the plasma membranes of apposed macrophages. No distinct filamentous structures were visible in those dense regions. Electron-dense amorphous materials are lined up at the center of the intercellular space in the junctional regions. Some macrophages form clusters with intercellular junctions. No significant difference in the effect of cholesterol, cortisone acetate, and estrone on the number of intercellular junctions between macrophages was found.