The Origin of Endothelial Cells in Novel Structures, Bonghan Ducts and Bonghan Corpuscles Determined Using Immunofluorescence

Yi, Sun-Shin; Hwang, In-Koo; Kim, Min-Su; Soh, Kwang-Sup; Yoon, Yeo-Sung

doi:10.1016/S2005-2901(09)60054-6

« Previous Next »Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies
Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 190-196, September 2009

The Origin of Endothelial Cells in Novel Structures, Bonghan Ducts and Bonghan Corpuscles Determined Using Immunofluorescence

Sun-Shin Yi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
In-Koo Hwang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Min-Su Kim
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, ChonBuk National University, JeonJu, South Korea
Kwang-Sup Soh
- Biomedical Physics Laboratory, School of Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Yeo-Sung Yoon
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
- Corresponding Author. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, South Korea

Received 25 May 2009; received in revised form 13 July 2009; accepted 14 July 2009.

Abstract

Bonghan ducts (BHDs), and their associated Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs), which are novel threadlike structures, were recently observed in rats and rabbits by using various methods. As further support for the putative circulatory function of the novel threadlike structures (NTS), we investigated the presence and the origin of the endothelial cells within these structures. We immunostained the NTS with anti-CD146, an endothelial cell marker, and with anti-podoplanin, a lymphatic cell marker. Positive expression of CD146 in the BHDs was obtained, and the distribution of endothelial cells showed that the inner boundaries of the channels in the subducts branched from the BHDs and curled around, in a complicated manner, inside a BHCs. The negative expression of podoplanin implies that the endothelial cells in the BHDs are likely to be of vascular and not of lymphatic origin.

Key Words: Bonghan corpuscle , Bonghan duct , CD146 , endothelial cell , podoplanin