sepharose and Tuberculoma

Granulomas consist of organised collections of macrophages showing evidence of activation in response to an agent localised within a tissue. To date, in vitro models of granuloma formation have failed to reproduce the histological appearance of a granuloma, which forms a characteristic three-dimensional structure. The use of 3-D collagen gels allows agarose beads and human mononuclear cells to be suspended together in a milieu which permit the two to interact. The interaction between agarose beads and mononuclear cells produces monocyte-macrophage aggregates within 24 h which resemble an early granuloma. The monocytes show evidence of activation by direct microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. This model should permit the laboratory testing of hypotheses describing granuloma formation.

Topics: Animals; Cell Aggregation; Collagen; Gels; Granuloma; HLA-DR Antigens; Humans; Microspheres; Models, Biological; Monocytes; Neutrophils; Rats; Sepharose; Tuberculoma