A lesion in the dorsoposterior part of the rat brain septum is known to exert an inhibitory effect on the delayed skin hypersensitivity and incorporation of radiolabeled thymidine into the lymphoid organs. To determine whether distinct properties of macrophages will also be modulated by this type of injury, we have focused upon the monitoring of expression of sugar receptors (lectins). In this study we show a reduction in the number of macrophages expressing carbohydrate-binding sites for asialoglycoproteins (beta-D-galactoside), alpha-D-mannoside and alpha-D-mannoside-6-phosphate in spleen macrophages after the lesion of the dorsoposterior septum of the brain in the rat. The number of ED-1+ macrophages was not influenced. The intraperitoneal injection of beads prepared from the copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate (30 wt %) elevated significantly the number of ED-1+ spleen macrophages and number of macrophages with binding site(s) recognizing asialoglycoproteins and alpha-D-mannoside-6-phosphate, respectively. These results indicate that a foreign-body reaction appears to be able to mediate a phenotypic restoration of lectin expression by spleen macrophages altered by the brain lesion. It can be suggested that, for example, a probable production of cytokines by the inflammatory cells colonizing the implanted beads plays a role in this process.

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