Isolation and characteristics of small intestinal lamina propria cells from normal and nematode (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis)-infected rats.

Intestinal lamina propria (LP) cells were isolated from normal or nematode (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis)-infected rats. At certain times after infection (days 11-17), viable cell recoveries from infected rats were lower, whereas at other times (days 20-50), they were significantly greater than those from normal rats. The frequencies of lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, mast cells and macrophages from LP differed between normal and infected rats, and the histamine content did also. However, spontaneous 3H-uridine and 3H-thymidine incorporation and the number of cells with cytoplasmic immunoglobulin were similar. LP cells from normal rats were unresponsive to the mitogens phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A and pokeweed. 125I-deoxyuridine-radiolabeled LP lymphoblasts from normal rats were widely distributed in recipients 22-24 h after transfer and showed no selective predilection to return to the intestine. The isolation procedure can be used to study intestinal LP cells from normal or diseased animals.