Anatomy, immunohistochemistry, and numerical distribution of human splenic microvessels

The microvascular architecture of the spleen plays an important role in the immunological function of this organ. The different types of vessels are related to different reticular cells each with their own immunomodulatory functions. The present study describes an immunohistochemical and morphometric analysis of the various types of vessels in 21 human autopsy non-pathological splenic samples. On an area of 785,656.37 μm2 for each sample, we classified and quantified the type and number of vascular structures, each according to their morphology and immunohistochemical profile, and obtained the ratios between them. The distribution of trabecular vessels and the characteristics of the venules are reviewed. In our material the so-called "cavernous perimarginal sinus" (anatomical structure previously described by Schmidt et al., 1988) was observed and interpreted as a curvilinear venule shaped by the follicle in contact with the trabecular vein. Our material comprised 261 trabeculae (containing 269 arterial sections and 508 venous sections), 30,621 CD34+ capillaries, 7739 CD271+ sheathed capillaries, 2588 CD169+ sheathed capillaries, and 31,124 CD8+ sinusoids. The total area (TA) (14,765,714.88 μm2) occupied by the sinusoidal sections of the 21 cases was much higher than the TA of the capillary sections (1,700,269.83 μm2). Similarly, the TA (651,985 μm2) occupied by the sections of the trabecular veins was much higher than the TA of the trabecular arteries (88,594 μm2). The total number of CD34+ capillaries and of sinusoids CD8+ was similar for the sum of the 21 cases, nevertheless there were large differences in each case. Statistically the hypothesis that the number of capillaries and sinusoids are present with the same frequency is discarded. In view of the absence of a numerical correlation between capillaries and sinusoids, we postulate that very possibly the arterial and the venous vascular trees are two anatomically independent structures separated by the splenic cords. We believe that this is the first work where splenic microvascularization is simultaneously approached from a morphometric and immunohistochemical point of view.