In spite of various attempts, conclusive evidence to explain blood passage in the splenic red pulp does not seem to have been presented. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations on the rabbit spleen, originally performed by us, revealed that the sinus was lined by a perforated lattice composed of longitudinally extended rod cells and transverse cytoplasmic processes, and that perforations in the lattice were continuous to the spaces among the stellate reticulum cells of the cord. In the present study the observation was extended to the dog and rat spleens, in which the cord is more developed than in the rabbit in order to clarify the possible differences in the fine structure of the sinus wall. An attempt was also made to examine the development and distribution of macrophage in the blood passage of the red pulp.Spleens were washed and fixed by perfusion with Ringer solution and then with buffered glutaraldehyde. Small tissue cubes were dehydrated with acetone, dried in air and heated with gold. Observations were made by a JEOL SEM Type-3. One air dried tissue cube was cut into small pieces and post fixed with buffered OsO4 for examination under the transmission electron microscope (TEM).
Experimental study on interdigestive migrating contractions with intestinal transection and injection of ringer solution into intestine.
