[On the endogenous peroxidase in the spleen of swine (author's transl)]

We studied the distribution of endogenous peroxidase in the spleen of swine by modifications of the Graham and Karnovsky diaminobenzidine procedure. There is a peroxidatic activity in the majority of the ellipsoid cells (cells of the sheathed capillaries of Schweigger-Seidel), which is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and the perinuclear cisterna. This staining is inhibited completely by aminotriazole and is rapidly destroyed even by low concentratoins of glutaraldehyde. Furthermore, the reaction is abolished after boiling of tissue sections or in the absence of H2O2. The macrophages of the red pulp and a minority of the ellipsoid cells are peroxidase negative. Our results are discussed in respect to some recent studies on the system of mononuclear phagocytes. It is suggested, that the enzyme active ellipsoid cells represent a special form of macrophages, enzyme histochemically related to Kupffer cells and resident peritoneal macrophages. The enzyme negative cells of the ellipsoids are probably fibroblasts.