Histochemistry and morphology of porcine mast cells

Summary Mast cells have been described extensively in rodents and humans but not in pigs, and the objective of this study was to characterize porcine mast cells by histochemistry and electron microscopy. Carnoy's fluid proved to be a good fixative but fixation with neutral buffered formalin blocked staining of most mast cells. Alcian Blue stained more mast cells than did Toluidine Blue (pH 0.5), although Alcian Blue also stained goblet cells. In pigs, unlike rodents, the Alcian Blue method did not distinguish between mast cells in the intestinal mucosa and those in the connective tissue of the intestinal submucosa, tongue and skin. Mast cells were significantly larger in adult pigs than in piglets; in adult pigs and piglets, mast cells in the intestinal mucosa were significantly larger than those in submucosal connective tissue, and they were more varied in shape in piglets and adults. Granules in mast cells in the intestinal mucosa stained less intensely than those in mast cells in connective tissue of tongue, skin and intestinal submucosa. Mast cells in the connective tissue of the tongue, skin and intestinal submucosa fluoresced strongly when stained with berberine sulphate or with a mixture of berberine sulphate and Acridine Orange, but mast cells in the intestinal mucosa did not. All mast cells reacted positively in an enzyme-histochemical method previously used to detect human tryptase but not in a method previously used to detect human chymase. Mast cells in the medulla of thymus stained similarly to mast cells in the intestinal mucosa. Ultrastructural differences between mast cells were not detected.     

Number, fixation properties, dye-binding and protease expression of duodenal mast cells: comparisons between healthy subjects and patients with gastritis or Crohn’s disease

Summary There is an accumulation of evidence to suggest that mast cells may play a key role in gastrointestinal inflammation. We have investigated the numbers and heterogeneity in staining properties of mast cells in biopsies of the duodenum of normal subjects (n = 10), and of normal duodenum from patients with Crohn’s disease of the ileum and/or colon (n = 7) or with Helicobacter-associated gastritis of the antrum/corpus (n = 6). In normal donors, two subsets of mast cells, one located in the duodenal mucosa and the other in the submucosa, were clearly distinguished by their morphology and dye-binding properties. Whereas submucosal mast cells stained metachromatically with Toluidine Blue after neutral formalin fixation and emitted a yellow fluorescence after staining with Berberine sulphate, those in the mucosa were invisible using these stains. In patients with gastritis or Crohn’s disease, there were marked changes in the numbers of mucosal mast cells compared with control subjects, even though the duodenal biopsies were from apparently uninvolved tissue. Gastritis was associated with increased mucosal mast cell numbers (controls: 187 ± 23 cells mm−2; gastritis: 413 ± 139 cells mm−2; p = 0.0004), but mean mucosal mast cell counts in the uninvolved duodenum of Crohn’s patients were actually decreased (34 ± 30 cells mm−2, p = 0.0147). The clear differentiation between mucosal and submucosal mast cells on the basis of metachromasia with Toluidine Blue was not seen in biopsies from the patients with gastritis or Crohn’s disease. Previous studies which have suggested that there are no distinct mucosal and submucosal mast cell subsets in the human intestine may, therefore, have been affected by the use of tissue from diseased subjects. Heterogeneity in the expression of mast cell tryptase and chymase was seen by immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies, but the relative numbers of mast cell subsets were critically dependent on the methods used. Using a sensitive staining procedure, the majority of mucosal mast cells stained positively for chymase as well as for tryptase, an observation confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy and immunoabsorption studies. Our findings suggest that early stages in intestinal inflammation may be reflected in changes in mast cell numbers and in their staining properties, and call for a reappraisal of mast cell heterogeneity in the human intestinal tract This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Bovine mast cells: distribution, density, heterogeneity, and influence of fixation techniques

Mast cells can be distinguished according to various characteristics: rodent mast cells have been subtyped by histochemical criteria, whereas canine and human mast cells have been classified according to their proteases. Comparisons of mast cells from different species have therefore resulted in contradictory and confusing opinions on mast cell heterogeneity. Thus, it is essential to obtain species-specific data on mast cell density and heterogeneity. The present study was carried out to determine the physiological distribution of mast cell numbers and types in bovines according to tissue location, staining, and fixation methods. Samples were fixed in formalin or Carnoy’s fluid. The average number of mast cells was determined by using a metachromatic staining method. Protease content of mast cells was examined with a double-enzyme-immunohistochemical staining technique. Three mast cell subtypes were distinguished: T-, TC-, and C-mast cells. The T-mast cell was the predominant subtype in nearly all investigated organs and tissue locations. Only tryptase-positive mast cells could be demonstrated in bovine skin and uterus. No chymase activity was found in these organs, regardless of the fixation type. A larger number of mast cells was observed after fixation in Carnoy’s fluid. The three different mast cell subtypes were only demonstrated in formalin-fixed tissue; chymase-positive mast cells were not found after fixation in Carnoy’s fluid. Increasing experimental data suggest that mast cell subtypes have different functions in promoting and modulating inflammation and in remodeling the extracellular matrix. Since mast cell tryptase and chymase have different functional properties, these results may clarify the different reaction patterns observed in various organs and species.     

Mast cells are present in epithelial layers of different tissues of the mollusc Anomalocardia brasiliana. In situ characterization of heparin and a correlation of heparin and histamine concentration

Heparin, other sulphated glycosaminoglycans and histamine were extracted from various dissected organs of Anomalocardia brasiliana, a mollusc from the South Atlantic, and quantified. A good correlation between heparin and histamine content was found in the labial palp, intestine, ctenidium, mantle and foot tissues. The tissue location of metachromatic cells, putatively containing heparin, was identified histologically with Alcian Blue, Toluidine Blue, Masson trichrome, Haematoxylin-Eosin and PAS. Except for the foot, cells containing metachromatic granules were found in the epithelium surfaces of all the organs analysed. An in situ identification of heparin using nitrous acid and heparinase degradation has established unequivocally the presence of this compound in the metachromatic cells. The location of 'mast-like' cells at the epithelium surface of mollusc tissues exposed to the environment are very similar to the distribution of mammalian and other vertebrate mast cells and gives support to the suggestion for a role of mast cells in defense mechanisms.     

In situ detection of the mast cell proteases chymase and tryptase in human lung tissue using light and electron microscopy

Scroll-rich, "mucosal" mast cells are the predominant human lung mast cell type. It has been proposed that these mast cells store tryptase but are mostly chymase deficient. We present a detailed immunolocalisation study of chymase and tryptase in lung specimens of eight patients. Using monoclonal antibody B7 in a conventional tissue processing method for light microscopy, chymase-positive mast cells were much fewer than tryptase-positive ones. However, they approached the number of tryptase-positive cells when optimised processing was used. Two different monoclonal antibodies, B7 and CC1, were used to visualise chymase in purified lung mast cells of two patients using ultrastructural immunogold labelling. Immunoabsorption controls demonstrated a reactivity of B7 with both tryptase and chymase, but indicated specificity of CC1 for chymase. On the ultrastructural level, all of more than 1,400 lung mast cells evaluated labelled for chymase. Reactivity was seen in cytoplasmic granules, cytoplasm and vesicles, but not elsewhere. Tryptase labelling using monoclonal antibody G3 was also present in all mast cells detected, and was retained in altered granules (=activated mast cells), where B7 labelling was sparse. The average labelling density was approximately sixfold higher than for chymase. In summary, chymase may be more abundant in human lung mast cells than hitherto thought.     

Mast cells are present in epithelial layers of different tissues of the mollusc <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anomalocardia brasiliana</Emphasis>. <Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> characterization of heparin and a correlation of heparin and histamine concentration

Heparin, other sulphated glycosaminoglycans and histamine were extracted from various dissected organs of Anomalocardia brasiliana, a mollusc from the South Atlantic, and quantified. A good correlation between heparin and histamine content was found in the labial palp, intestine, ctenidium, mantle and foot tissues. The tissue location of metachromatic cells, putatively containing heparin, was identified histologically with Alcian Blue, Toluidine Blue, Masson trichrome, Haematoxylin–Eosin and PAS. Except for the foot, cells containing metachromatic granules were found in the epithelium surfaces of all the organs analysed. An in situ identification of heparin using nitrous acid and heparinase degradation has established unequivocally the presence of this compound in the metachromatic cells. The location of 'mast-like' cells at the epithelium surface of mollusc tissues exposed to the environment are very similar to the distribution of mammalian and other vertebrate mast cells and gives support to the suggestion for a role of mast cells in defense mechanisms.     

Identification of a cathepsin G-like proteinase in the MCTC type of human mast cell

Human mast cells can be divided into two subsets based on serine proteinase composition: a subset that contains the serine proteinases tryptase and chymase (MCTC), and a subset that contains only tryptase (MCT). In this study we examined both types of mast cells for two additional proteinases, cathepsin G and elastase, which are the major serine proteinases of neutrophils. Because human mast cell chymase and cathepsin G are both chymotrypsin-like proteinases, the properties of these enzymes were further defined to confirm their distinctiveness. Comparison of their N-terminal sequences showed 30% nonidentity over the first 35 amino acids, and comparison of their amino acid compositions demonstrated a marked difference in their Arg/Lys ratios, which was approximately 1 for chymase and 10 for cathepsin G. Endoglycosidase F treatment increased the electrophoretic mobility of chymase on SDS gels, indicating significant N-linked carbohydrate on chymase; no effect was observed on cathepsin G. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting with specific antisera to each proteinase revealed little, if any, detectable cross-reactivity. Immunocytochemical studies showed selective labelling of MCTC type mast cells by cathepsin G antiserum in sections of human skin, lung, and bowel. No labeling of mast cells by elastase antiserum was detected in the same tissues, or in dispersed mast cells from lung and skin. A protein cross-reactive with cathepsin G was identified in extracts of human skin mast cells by immunoblot analysis. This protein had a slightly higher Mr (30,000) than the predominant form of neutrophil cathepsin G (Mr 28,000), and could not be separated from chymase (Mr 30,000) by SDS gel electrophoresis because of the size similarity. Using casein, a protein substrate hydrolyzed at comparable rates by chymase and cathepsin G, it was shown that about 30% of the caseinolytic activity in mast cell extracts was sensitive to inhibitors of cathepsin G that had no effect on chymase. Hydrolytic activity characteristic of elastase was not detected in these extracts. These studies indicate that human MCTC mast cells may contain two different chymotrypsin-like proteinases: chymase and a proteinase more closely related to cathepsin G, both of which are undetectable in MCT mast cells. Neutrophil elastase, on the other hand, was not detected in human mast cells by our procedures.     

Activation of paracrine TGF-beta1 signaling upon stimulation and degranulation of rat serosal mast cells: a novel function for chymase.

As a source of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), mast cells have been implicated as potential effector cells in many pathological processes. However, the mechanisms by which mast cells express, secrete, and activate TGF-beta1 have remained vague. We show here by means of RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunocytochemistry that isolated rat peritoneal mast cells synthesize and store large latent TGF-beta1 in their chymase 1-containing secretory granules. Mast cell stimulation and degranulation results in rapid secretion of the latent TGF-beta1, which is converted by chymase 1 into an active form recognized by the type II TGF-beta serine/threonine kinase receptor (TbetaRII). Thus, mast cells secrete active TGF-beta1 by a unique secretory mechanism in which latent TGF-beta1 and the activating enzyme chymase 1 are coreleased. The activation of latent TGF-beta1 specifically by chymase was verified using recombinant human latent TGF-beta1 and recombinant human chymase. In isolated TbetaRI- and TbetaRII-expressing peritoneal macrophages, the activated TGF-beta1 induces the expression of the plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), whereas in the mast cells, the levels of TbetaRI, TbetaRII, and PAI-1 expression were below detection. Selective stimulation of mast cells in vivo in the rat peritoneal cavity leads to rapid overexpression of TGF-beta1 in peritoneal mast cells and of TbetaRs in peritoneal macrophages. These data strongly suggest that mast cells can act as potent paracrine effector cells both by secreting active TGF-beta1 and by enhancing its response in target cells.     

胃促胰酶和肥大细胞在豚鼠过敏性休克死亡的应用

目的:建立豚鼠过敏性休克模型,研究胃促胰酶和肥大细胞在过敏性休克诊断上的应用。方法:20只清洁级豚鼠随机分为10只实验组和10只对照组,应用混合人血清构建的过敏模型,ELISA方法测定豚鼠血清Ig E含量,免疫组化染色观察胃促胰酶在喉头、气管、肺、胃、肠的表达,肥大细胞特殊染色计数肥大细胞。结果:实验组豚鼠有70%发生过敏性休克死亡,实验组豚鼠血清中Ig E的含量显著高于对照组豚鼠(P0.05),实验组豚鼠于喉头、气管、肺胃促胰酶的表达高于对照组(P0.05),实验组豚鼠于喉头、气管、肺、胃的肥大细胞总数高于对照组豚鼠(P0.05),肺组织观察到肥大细胞脱颗粒。结论:胃促胰酶和肥大细胞可以为过敏性休克死亡的法医学鉴定提供参考。     

Mast cells and macrophages in normal C57/BL/6 mice

Mast cells and macrophages have an important role in immunity and inflammation. Because mice are used extensively for experimental studies investigating immunological and inflammatory responses, we examined mast cell and macrophage distribution in normal murine tissues. Mast cells were abundant in the murine dermis, tongue, and skeletal muscle but were rarely found in the heart, lung, spleen, kidney, liver, and the bowel mucosa. In contrast, dogs exhibited large numbers of mast cells in the lung parenchyma, liver, and bowel. Some murine dermal mast cells had long cytoplasmic projections filled with granular content. Mouse mast cells demonstrated intense histamine immunoreactivity and were identified with histochemical enzymatic techniques for tryptase and chymase. Macrophages, identified using the monoclonal antibody F4/80, were abundant in the spleen, lung, liver, kidney, and bowel but relatively rare in the heart, tongue, and dermis. Using a nuclease protection assay we investigated mRNA expression of stem cell factor (SCF), a crucial survival factor for mast cells, and the macrophage growth factors macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Stem cell factor mRNA was highly expressed in the murine lung. Relatively low levels of SCF mRNA expression were found in the tongue and earlobe, which are tissues containing a high number of mast cells. Macrophage CSF and GM-CSF mRNA was highly expressed in the lung and spleen. The murine heart, an organ with a low macrophage content, expressed high levels of M-CSF but negligible levels of GM-CSF mRNA. Constitutive growth factor mRNA expression in murine tissues without significant populations of mast cells and macrophages may suggest an alternative role for these factors in tissue homeostasis.     

Histochemical and ultrastructural studies of mast cells in the intestinal mucosa and skin of the opossumDidelphis albiventris

Summary The mast cells located in the intestinal mucosa of a non-eutherian mammal were studied in comparison with those in the skin of the ear. In the intestinal mucosa, the mast cells exhibited a more variable shape, larger cytoplasmic granules and greater sensitivity to fixatives regarding their staining towards Toluidine Blue. Ultrastructurally, these granules were more heterogeneous but lacked the crystalline content found in granules of skin mast cells; lipid body-like organelles were found only in the mucosa-located mast cells. Histochemically, they differed from skin mast cells by the absence of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive granules. Unlike the mucosal mast cells of the rat, they fluoresced brilliant yellow after berberine treatment, which is evidence of the presence of heparin.     

Chymase Mediates Injury and Mitochondrial Damage in Cardiomyocytes during Acute Ischemia/Reperfusion in the Dog

Cardiac ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs because the acute increase in oxidative/inflammatory stress during reperfusion culminates in the death of cardiomyocytes. Currently, there is no drug utilized clinically that attenuates I/R injury in patients. Previous studies have demonstrated degranulation of mast cell contents into the interstitium after I/R. Using a dog model of I/R, we tested the role of chymase, a mast cell protease, in cardiomyocyte injury using a specific oral chymase inhibitor (CI). 15 adult mongrel dogs had left anterior descending artery occlusion for 60 min and reperfusion for 100 minutes. 9 dogs received vehicle and 6 were pretreated with a specific CI. In vivo cardiac microdialysis demonstrated a 3-fold increase in interstitial fluid chymase activity in I/R region that was significantly decreased by CI. CI pretreatment significantly attenuated loss of laminin, focal adhesion complex disruption, and release of troponin I into the circulation. Microarray analysis identified an I/R induced 17-fold increase in nuclear receptor subfamily 4A1 (NR4A1) and significantly decreased by CI. NR4A1 normally resides in the nucleus but can induce cell death on migration to the cytoplasm. I/R caused significant increase in NR4A1 protein expression and cytoplasmic translocation, and mitochondrial degradation, which were decreased by CI. Immunohistochemistry also revealed a high concentration of chymase within cardiomyocytes after I/R. In vitro, chymase added to culture HL-1 cardiomyocytes entered the cytoplasm and nucleus in a dynamin-dependent fashion, and promoted cytoplasmic translocation of NR4A1 protein. shRNA knockdown of NR4A1 on pre-treatment of HL-1 cells with CI significantly decreased chymase-induced cell death and mitochondrial damage. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of an orally active CI during I/R are mediated in the cardiac interstitium as well as within the cardiomyocyte due to a heretofore-unrecognized chymase entry into cardiomyocytes.     

Mast cell heterogeneity in the human uvea

To identify chymase- and tryptase-positive mast cells in the human uvea, and to study their associations with different types of resident uveal cells, uveal specimens from 24 human donor eyes were cryosectioned in sagittal and tangential planes. Enzyme histochemical staining of chymase was combined with immunohistochemical staining for tryptase, detected with the APAAP method. Fluorescence immunohistochemistry was performed with antibodies against c-kit, alpha smooth muscle actin, protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, CD45, and HLA-DR. In different uveal compartments, the total amounts of mast cells were calculated and the distributions of chymase and tryptase were quantified. All uveal mast cells were c-kit and CD45 positive and HLA-DR negative. No association existed between mast cells and actin-containing cells. Only a few mast cells were in close association with PGP 9.5-labeled nerve fibers. In the choroid, most mast cells were located in the inner central part (mean density = 48.9/mm²), and contained both chymase and tryptase (96%). The ciliary muscle contained numerous mast cells (mean density = 33.7/mm²), many of them tryptase positive but chymase negative (63%). In the pars plana, a high number of chymase-positive, tryptase-negative mast cells were found (20%). In the iris only a few mast cells were present. Although the choroid contains the most common subtype of mast cells, a unique situation concerning the distribution of chymase and tryptase is present in the anterior uveal tissues. A possible role for these cells in the special immunological situation of the anterior eye chamber merits further investigation. Accepted: 16 September 1999     

Cardiac chymase: pathophysiological role and therapeutic potential of chymase inhibitors

On release from cardiac mast cells, alpha-chymase converts angiotensin I (Ang I) to Ang II. In addition to Ang II formation, alpha-chymase is capable of activating TGF-beta1 and IL-1beta, forming endothelins consisting of 31 amino acids, degrading endothelin-1, altering lipid metabolism, and degrading the extracellular matrix. Under physiological conditions the role of chymase in the mast cells of the heart is uncertain. In pathological situations, chymase may be secreted and have important effects on the heart. Thus, in animal models of cardiomyopathy, pressure overload, and myocardial infarction, there are increases in both chymase mRNA levels and chymase activity in the heart. In human diseased heart homogenates, alterations in chymase activity have also been reported. These findings have raised the possibility that inhibition of chymase may have a role in the therapy of cardiac disease. The selective chymase inhibitors developed to date include TY-51076, SUN-C8257, BCEAB, NK320, and TEI-E548. These have yet to be tested in humans, but promising results have been obtained in animal models of myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and tachycardia-induced heart failure. It seems likely that orally active inhibitors of chymase could have a place in the treatment of cardiac diseases where injury-induced mast cell degranulation contributes to the pathology.     

Immunological Modulation of Human Cardiac Mast Cells

Human mast cells, by elaborating various cytokines, chemokines and proinflammatory mediators play a complex role in several allergic and inflammatory disorders. Mast cells have been identified in human heart tissue in close proximity to the sarcolemma, in perivascular and adventitial locations and in the shoulder region of coronary atheroma. Human heart mast cells (HHMC) can be isolated from patients undergoing heart transplantation and can be immunologically activated in vitro to induce the release of tryptase, chymase, cysteinyl leukotriene C₄ and prostaglandin D₂. Several cytokines (e.g., stem cell factor and TNF-) reside in secretory granules of HHMC. Mast cell density is increased in the hearts of patients with ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiac mast cells might contribute to the evolution of atherosclerosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac and systemic anaphylaxis through the release of cytokines and vasoactive and proinflammatory mediators.     

Regulation of histamine release from oxyntic mucosa.

The regulation of histamine release from oxyntic mucosa is complex because of two potential sources of histamine: mast cells and enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. A gastrin-responsive histamine pool was identified in the rat oxyntic mucosa two decades ago, but these ECL cells from the rat have not yet been isolated or characterized in vitro. In vivo studies in canine and human mucosa have been more difficult because of the high content of histamine in mast cells. Using enzyme-dispersed canine oxyntic mucosal cells, we have studied regulation of histamine release from a mast cell-depleted fraction prepared by sequential elutriation and density gradient. Histamine-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated, using peroxidase-anti-peroxidase immunohistochemistry. After short-term culture, histamine was released in response to gastrin, cholecystokinin, carbachol, and forskolin. Somatostatin potently and effectively inhibited the response to gastrin. The cultures used for these studies also contained somatostatin cells, and, furthermore, the response to gastrin was enhanced by incubation with monoclonal antibodies to somatostatin. The latter findings suggested that somatostatin was acting in these cultures by a paracrine route. This pattern contrasts with that obtained in previous studies of canine oxyntic mucosal mast cells.     

Distribution and enzyme histochemical characterisation of mast cells in cats

Mast cells from 15 different cat organs were examined in terms of distribution and protease activity. The number of mast cells in each site was found to vary when visualised by metachromatic staining using Alcian Blue. Enzyme histochemical analysis revealed the existence of two subtypes of mast cells. These were categorised based on protease content, i.e. whether the mast cells contained chymase or tryptase. Tryptase-positive mast cells were clearly identifiable in every organ examined, whereas chymase-containing mast cells were predominantly observed in the ear (skin), tongue, spleen, and submucosa of the stomach and rectum. The chymase-reactive cells were not detected in the heart, or in the muscularis or serosa of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum or rectum. In addition, we suggest the existence of another subtype of mast cell containing both chymase and tryptase and localised within the ear (skin), tongue, spleen and submucosa of the rectum.     

Cellular localization of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and related molecular forms in bovine lung

Summary In addition to bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), three BPTI-related molecular forms (isoinhibitors I, II and III) were isolated from bovine lung by affinity chromatography on immobilized trypsin and subsequently purified by Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography. These inhibitors are identical to the isoinhibitors previously isolated from bovine spleen. Their localization in bovine lung was studied by immunohistochemical techniques, using two different immunoglobulin preparations, selectively recognizing BPTI or the other molecular forms.BPTI-related immunoreactivity was found to be restricted to isolated cells, often identified as mast cells by Toluidine Blue staining. In contrast, isoinhibitor-related immunoreactivity, which also occurs in the mast cells, is present in a number of other cell types. These types include: (i) the smooth muscle cells of different calibre vessels, (ii) the ciliated cells of the bronchial epithelium and the related mucus, and (iii) many cells at alveolar level.Comparison of these data with previous results obtained for bovine spleen suggest multiple physiological roles for these inhibitors.     

Selection of a simple protease procedure for identifying mast cells in routinely processed human tissues

Proteases present in mast cell granules have been harnessed to demonstrate mast cells in human tissues. A number of substrate mixtures were tested. D-Val-Leu-Arg-4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide (MNA) plus Fast Blue B was the best for identifying human mast cells, yielding the most specific and complete staining. The procedure is simple and the results are permanent. Cryostat sections of aldehyde-fixed routine preparations or paraffin sections of Carnoy-fixed tissues give the most satisfactory results. Mast cells are stained a strong red color that stands out distinctly from the surrounding tissues, so that they can be easily identified by simple microscopy. A double-staining technique, first for protease and subsequently using Alcian Blue, showed that as progressive protease staining occurs, the alcianophilia of mast cells is lost. This procedure demonstrated that mast cells in the mucosa of human gut generally required longer incubations to develop protease staining than in other connective tissue sites. In post-mortem tissues, mast cells retain their protease activity well and so can be demonstrated in cryostat sections of aldehyde-fixed material, giving a more complete picture than with Alcian Blue. The synthetic substrate D-Val-Leu-Arg-MNA can be recommended for routine identification of mast cells in human tissues.     

Distribution, density and heterogeneity of canine mast cells and influence of fixation techniques

 The present study was carried out to determine the physiological distribution of mast cell numbers and types in the dog according to tissue location, staining and fixation methods. Tissue samples from stomach, duodenum, lung, lymph node, skin and uterus were evaluated. Samples were fixed in formalin as well as in Carnoy’s fluid. The average number of mast cells was determined using a metachromatic staining method. Protease content of mast cells was examined with a double enzyme-immunohistochemical staining technique, using a histochemical reaction for chloroacetate esterase to detect chymase activity and an immunohistochemical staining method for the detection of tryptase. Canine mast cells can be subdivided into formalin-sensitive and -resistant mast cells. Three subtypes were identified according to their content of the mast cell-specific proteases tryptase (T) and chymase (C): T-, TC- and C-mast cells. Significant differences regarding the distribution of mast cell subtypes as well as the influence of the fixation method can be observed. This underlines the fact that data regarding mast cell heterogeneity from other species, obtained by different fixation methods, are not comparable. This fact has to be taken into consideration when evaluating mast cell subtypes under pathological conditions. Accepted: 29 January 1998