Sakai Kazuyoshi, Imada Hideki, Shinzato Masanori, Nishii Kazuhiro, Miyachi Ei-ichi, Katoh Yoshimitsu, Yamada Kouji
Department of Anatomy, School of Health Sciences, Aichi, Japan.
Okajimas Folia Anat Jpn. 2013;89(4):105-12. doi: 10.2535/ofaj.89.105.
After finding tonsil-like structures near the entrance of vagina of a laboratory shrew (Suncus murinus), which we subsequently designated as vaginal tonsils, we performed detailed immunohistochemical and developmental studies. The location of T and B cells in the vaginal tonsils differed from that in the palatine tonsils or that in the lymphoid nodes of other animals. The boundary between the germinal center region and the region encompassing follicular interfollicular tissue was not clear. B cells were widely distributed and very dense in the parenchyma, but they were scattered in the epithelial area (B cells were present in around 90% of the vaginal tonsil tissue). In contrast, T cells were scattered in the parenchyma and in the epithelial area (T cells were present in around 10% of the vaginal tonsil tissue). B cells were more prominent than T cells throughout the development of these structures and the epithelium was invaded by many immigrating cells. The size of the vaginal tonsils changed during postnatal development. Vaginal tonsils are structurally similar to other tonsils, and they may function to protect the vagina from infection.
在实验室麝鼩（Suncus murinus）阴道入口附近发现类似扁桃体的结构后，我们随后将其命名为阴道扁桃体，并进行了详细的免疫组织化学和发育研究。阴道扁桃体中T细胞和B细胞的位置与腭扁桃体或其他动物淋巴结中的位置不同。生发中心区域与包含滤泡间组织的区域之间的边界不清晰。B细胞在实质中广泛分布且非常密集，但它们分散在上皮区域（B细胞存在于约90%的阴道扁桃体组织中）。相比之下，T细胞分散在实质和上皮区域（T细胞存在于约10%的阴道扁桃体组织中）。在这些结构的整个发育过程中，B细胞比T细胞更突出，并且上皮被许多迁移细胞侵入。阴道扁桃体的大小在出生后发育过程中发生变化。阴道扁桃体在结构上与其他扁桃体相似，它们可能起到保护阴道免受感染的作用。
