A Supplementary Report of Studies on Bronchial Asthma
Part 6. Curschmann's Spiral in the Sputum of Asthmatic Patients
1957 Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages 137-141
Details
1957 Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages 137-141
In order to make clear how Curschmann's spiral, especially its central fibre is produced in the respiratory tract, I have histologically and histochemically investigated not only the sputum of asthmatic patients, but also the trachea, the bronchus, their mucous, serous and mixed glands and their ducts in the autopsies of the patients died during asthmatic attacks.
The materials of the lungs were carefully fixed in 10% formalin solution, which was kept warm at 38°C. They were partly cut by means of celloidin-method and partly frozen method. For general observation of the lungs haematoxylin-eosin staining method, for that of mucus cresylechtviolett staining method, and for that of nuclear component nuclear staining method (Feuigen) was used.
The results were as follows:
1. According to my investigation, Curschmann's spiral is chiefly composed of mucus. Although their central fibres are chiefly composed of far thicker mucus than the other parts of the spiral, they contain cellular components, specialy nuclear components, derived from mucous cells, leucocytes, eosinophil cells and plasma cells, as well.
2. The fine central fibres are already produced in the mucous cells of mucous and mixed glands as well in tbeir ducts.
3. Some of thick central fibres in the lumen of respiratory tract is composed of the mixture of thick mucus and cellular components caused by the destruction and fusion of the above cells in that tract.
4. As soon as the fibres of various size enter into the lumen of the respiratory tract, they gather together and are twisted, because of the production of a whirl-pool of air in the lumen of the wall during asthmatic attacks. Thus, the thick central fibres are produced. However, I was not able to find anywhere that the central fibres are made of the mucus from the goblet cells. Therefore, whether or not these cells also takes part in production of central fibres, requires further minute investigalon.
