Crivellato Enrico, Finato Nicoletta, Isola Miriam, Pandolfi Maura, Ribatti Domenico, Beltrami Carlo Alberto
Section of Anatomy, Department of Medical and Morphological Research, University of Udine School of Medicine, Udine, Italy.
Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2006 Jun;288(6):593-600. doi: 10.1002/ar.a.20325.
Pericryptal fibroblasts (PFs), a class of myofibroblasts, have strongly been implicated in the regulation of villous structure because of their location close to crypts and their ability to secrete cytokines affecting intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Recently, mast cells (MCs) have also been involved in the homeostasis of villous architecture. As myofibroblasts arise in a wide variety of settings concurrently with a local increase in the number of tissue MCs, we calculated in this study the density of both PF and distinct pericryptal MC phenotypes in the mucosa of human duodenum showing normal, defective, or atrophic villous profiles. In addition, we evaluated the statistical association between PF-MC densities and each pattern of villous architecture. Finally, we correlated the density of PF with the density of pericryptal MC phenotypes. For this purpose, samples taken by endoscopy from 30 patients complaining of inflammatory bowel disorders were studied by immunohistochemistry. The densities of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive PFs as well as tryptase-, chymase-, and c-kit-positive MCs were determined in the crypt lamina propria. Villous architecture was found to be significantly associated with the number of PFs and tryptase-, chymase-, c-kit-positive MCs in the lamina propria (ANOVA group effect P < 0.001). High density of both PFs and MCs was found in intestinal samples with normal villous morphology while lower densities were associated with defective or atrophic villous profiles (Tukey's test for multiple comparison P < 0.001). In addition, a significant correlation was found between PF density and the density of each pericryptal MC phenotype (vs. tryptase-positive MCs, r = 0.913; vs. chymase-positive MC, r = 0.905; vs. c-kit-positive MC, r = 0.927; P < 0.001 in all cases). This study provides morphological support for an important cooperation between PFs and MCs in maintaining normal villous architecture.
隐窝周围成纤维细胞（PFs）是一类肌成纤维细胞，因其靠近隐窝的位置以及分泌影响肠上皮细胞增殖和分化的细胞因子的能力，被强烈认为与绒毛结构的调节有关。最近，肥大细胞（MCs）也参与了绒毛结构的稳态维持。由于肌成纤维细胞在多种情况下与局部组织MC数量增加同时出现，我们在本研究中计算了人十二指肠黏膜中PF和不同隐窝周围MC表型的密度，这些十二指肠黏膜呈现正常、缺陷或萎缩性绒毛形态。此外，我们评估了PF - MC密度与每种绒毛结构模式之间的统计关联。最后，我们将PF的密度与隐窝周围MC表型的密度进行了相关性分析。为此，通过免疫组织化学研究了30例抱怨患有炎症性肠病的患者经内镜采集的样本。在隐窝固有层中确定了α - 平滑肌肌动蛋白阳性的PF以及色氨酸酶、糜蛋白酶和c - kit阳性的MC的密度。发现绒毛结构与固有层中PF以及色氨酸酶、糜蛋白酶、c - kit阳性MC的数量显著相关（方差分析组效应P < 0.001）。在具有正常绒毛形态的肠道样本中发现PF和MC的密度都很高，而较低的密度与缺陷或萎缩性绒毛形态相关（Tukey多重比较检验P < 0.001）。此外，在PF密度与每种隐窝周围MC表型的密度之间发现了显著相关性（与色氨酸酶阳性MC相比，r = 0.913；与糜蛋白酶阳性MC相比，r = 0.905；与c - kit阳性MC相比，r = 0.927；在所有情况下P < 0.001）。本研究为PF和MC在维持正常绒毛结构中的重要合作提供了形态学支持。
