2001 Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 229-235
Natural killer (NK) cells have been considered as the third lymphocyte other than and T lymphocytes. NK cells are capable of inflicting a defense function without adaptive immunity. That is, NK cells can mediate their cytotoxicity at the initial infection toward specific tumor cells or cells infected by viruses. By studying the distribution of the NK cell in the human nasopharynx, we intended to verify the immunological reactions in this region.
Whole-mount histological sections of the nasopharynx were prepared by using five autopsied cases. CD 16, 20, 4, and 8 were used as the prime antibodies. NK cells were identified at all specific sites, (superior-posterior wall, lateral wall, and inferior wall) within the nasopharynx. Moreover, NK cells were distributed along with the lymphoepithelial lesion of the mucosal epithelium; the distribution was more evident in the transitional cell layer than in the ciliated or squamous cell layers.
We concluded that the above-mentioned distribution of NK cells in the human nasopharynx play an important role in our innate immunity.
