Macrophage subsets in the rat gut: an immunohistochemical and enzyme-histochemical study

Macrophages' subsets including dendritic cells were characterized in situ and in cell suspensions of Peyer's patches, intestinal villi, and mesenteric lymph nodes using monoclonal antibodies, lectins, and enzyme-histochemistry. By combined labelling procedures, it was found that Peyer's patches comprise dendritic cells in addition to 2 types of macrophages; dendritic cells were not observed among the various macrophage-like cells in the lamina propria of the villi. The lectins Dolichos biflorus and Griffonia simplicifolia I agglutinin appeared to be useful for discriminating between several subtypes of macrophages.