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Year :2025
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Month :
January-February
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Volume :
14
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Issue :
1
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Page :
AO01 - AO05
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Histogenesis of White Pulp of the Human Foetal Spleen at Different Gestational Age Groups: A Cross-sectional Study
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Correspondence Address :
S Madhumalar, A Thenmozhi, N Mythily, M Arul Sruthi, K Anand,
Dr. M Arul Sruthi,
Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College,
Karur-639004, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: gopin84@gmail.com
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Introduction: Introduction: The spleen is a highly vascular, ductless and the largest lymphoid organ in our body. Its functions include phagocytosis and immune responses. In the foetus, haematopoiesis is the primary function of the spleen, which regresses after birth; however, the production of lymphocytes continues after birth.
Aim: To investigate the histological changes in the immune component, specifically the White Pulp (WP), of the human foetal spleen at various gestational age groups.
Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional histological study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Government KAPV Medical College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, from July 2019 to December 2021. Study was carried out on 50 samples of aborted human foetuses between 10 weeks and 40 weeks of gestational age, without any obvious congenital abnormalities, in a South Indian population. The samples were collected from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, after obtaining institutional ethical clearance and consent from the mothers. After processing the splenic tissues, slides were prepared and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E). The slides were observed under a compound light microscope using 4x, 10x, 40x and 100x magnifications. The appearance of lymphocytes, their developmental growth, and changes in WP were observed and interpreted. Statistical analysis was performed by computing the mean number of lymphoid follicles across gestational age groups using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21.0.
Results: Among the 50 foetuses, the capsule appeared between the 10th and 12th weeks, and trabeculae appeared at the 18th week. Lymphocytes were first observed at the 14th week, and lymphoid aggregation around the arteriole began at 22-24 weeks. The Periarteriolar Lymphatic Sheath (PALS) was observed at the 24th week, with definite WP noted at 36 weeks. Vascular loops appeared at the 12th week, and the vascularity of the WP increased with the age of gestation.
Conclusion: The present study provides detailed knowledge of the histogenesis of the WP of the spleen, which is valuable for anatomists and pathologists. The foetal spleen exhibits high vascularity, suggesting its potential use for transplantation in cases of splenectomy in the future.
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