The marginal sinus in the perifollicular region of the rat spleen.

The marginal sinus in the spleen of the Wistar rat surrounds the follicle and has more numerous PAS positive fibers on the inner wall than on the outer wall. India ink- and lead oxide-gelatin were injected into the abdominal aorta. It was found that much of the india ink-gelatin accumulated in the marginal sinus, the marginal zone, and part of the red pulp, while most of the lead oxide-gelatin collected in the marginal sinus. Ultrastructurally, the capillaries of the follicle were found to open into the marginal sinus. Regions not perforated by the marginal sinus lie between the follicle and the marginal zone. The wall of the marginal sinus is discontinuous and the discontinuities are wider on the marginal zone side than on the follicle side. The relationship of these findings is discussed.