FACTOR XIIIa-POSITIVE CELLS IN THE HUMAN PULMONARY TISSUES: AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY

抄録

The distribution of subunit A of blood coagulation factor XIII (FXIIIa) was investigated in human pulmonary tissues by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method. FXIIIa was detected in certain connective tissue cells, including dust-laden cells of the subpleural areas and alveolar septa as well as in alveolar macrophages, but not in type I or type II alveolar epithelial cells. These findings agree well with the widely accepted conception that pulmonary macrophages are part of the general mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). The biological role of the FXIIIa-positive pulmonary cells is also discussed in this paper.