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Milky spots ( taches laiteuses ) as structures which trap asbestos in mesothelial layers and their significance in the pathogenesis of mesothelial neoplasia
Author(s) -
Kanazawa Kyotaro,
Roe Francis J. C.,
Yamamoto Tadashi
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910230619
Subject(s) - asbestos , pathology , mesothelial cell , mesothelium , anatomy , biology , medicine , materials science , metallurgy
The UICC standard sample of asbestos, crocidolite, was injected subcutaneously into the flanks of CBA/lac mice. Asbestos fibres were found in milky spots in the serosal cavities more than 442 days after the injection, in the form of either naked fibres or asbestos bodies. Milky spots were the only structure in which asbestos fibres were observed in the mesothelial layer. The fact that asbestos fibres were found in the liver, spleen, kidney, brain, etc., in addition to milky spots, suggested that they were transported by the blood stream throughout the body. This assumption was confirmed by the similar distribution of asbestos after intravenous administration. The vascular and cellular structure of milky spots is such that they are particularly likely to trap blood‐borne asbestos fibres. Hyperplastic changes were observed in milky spots after both subcutaneous and intravenous administration of asbestos in mice. The possible involvement of milky spots in the genesis of tumours of the mesothelium following exposure of animals to asbestos is discussed.