Open AccessTHE ORIGIN OF BRAIN MACROPHAGES – SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON THE MICROGLIA THEORY OF DEL RIO‐HORTEGA –
Author(s) -
Kitamura Tadahisa
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
acta patholigica japonica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 0001-6632
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1973.tb00770.x
Subject(s) - microglia , pathology , neuroscience , medicine , biology , immunology , inflammation
In order to determine the origin of brain macrophages, which are considered to be derived from “resting microglia of Hortega”, autoradiographic studies using 3 H‐thymidine were carried out to reveal the following results. Almost all the brain macrophages were proved to be derived from circulating leukocytes, especially from monocytes. Other types of cells, including “resting branched microglia of Hortega”, do not play any significant role in the brain macrophage system. Electron microscopic autoradiography revealed marked metamorphosis of monocytes at the vicinity of the lesion, and they were designated as transformed monocytes. On the base of these results and electron microscopic morphology of “resting microglia of Hortega”, the author concluded that Hortega's microglia system can be divided into two different cell groups. The first is that seen In a resting state of mature and immature animals and the second is that appearing in damaged brain. The former Is thought to belong to neuroectodermal glia and the latter to hematogenous cells.