Different patterns of gamma delta and alpha beta T cell redistribution in the mouse after partial gastrectomy

Stress, including surgical trauma, results in different dysfunctions of the body. In our former experiments on posttraumatic modification of immune response of gastrectomized mice we observed a significant suppression of contact sensitivity. This could be transferred by lymph nodes and spleen T lymphocytes of mice which underwent surgery.

We studied changes in gammadelta and alphabeta T cell numbers in peripheral blood, Peyer's patches, and mesenteric lymph nodes after partial gastrectomy (major operation) and after sham gastrectomy (laparotomy-minor operation) in mice. The number of gammadelta and alphabeta T cells was counted on the FACSTAR cell sorter before and 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14 days after surgery.

In our observations there was a significant increase of percentage of gammadelta T cells both in Peyer's patches (1.9 +/- 0.5 to 10.5 +/- 0.3) and in mesenteric lymph nodes (2.7 +/- 0.7 to 8.8 +/- 3.5) on the third day after partial gastrectomy (546 and 322% of control values, respectively). In contrast in gastrectomized mice the number of alphabeta T cells in Peyer's patches (38.4 +/- 6.8 to 21.2 +/- 6.2) and lymph nodes (56.7 +/- 15 to 40.4 +/- 17) was decreased on day 3 (55 and 71% of control values, respectively). There was a decline in both alphabeta (18.1 +/- 8 to 8.2 +/- 1.7) and gammadelta (6.7 +/- 2.8 to 3.9 +/- 2) T cell numbers in peripheral blood on days 1, 3, and 7 (45 and 58% of normal values, respectively). Sham operation had no significant influence on alphabeta and gammadelta T cell numbers. We observed that after leg amputation the number of gammadelta T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes was significantly increased on day 3 (0.8 +/- 0.2 to 7.7 +/- 0.3), 770% of normal. In contrast to this, leg amputation had a negligible effect on T cell counts in Peyer's patches during all periods of observation.

We suggest that the major surgical stress (partial gastrectomy) may disturb the normal cell traffic selectively with increased gammadelta T cell homing in intestinal Peyer's patches and lymph nodes (GALT) and with the cell displacement from peripheral blood to lymphatic organs. The severity and localization of stress may be crucial.