The characterization of lymphocytes migrating through chronically inflamed tissues

Afferent lymphatics draining Freund's adjuvant-induced granulomas and efferent lymphatics from normal subcutaneous lymph nodes were cannulated in sheep. It was previously reported that cells collected from these lymphatics, after being radiolabelled with ¹¹¹In and returned to the animal intravenously, migrated from the blood back through the granuloma or lymph node into the lymph compartment from which they were originally obtained. Afferent lymph cells preferentially migrated out of the circulation in the granuloma rather than the lymph node. The cell responsible for this selective migration was found to be a small recirculating T lymphocyte. Macrophages and lymphoblasts did not demonstrate this migration. Similarly, B cells did not contribute to the lymphocyte migration observed. The migration of lymphocytes through normal uninflamed skin was examined. Afferent cells migrated through normal skin in the same way as through a granuloma, suggesting that neither antigen nor local inflammatory changes were responsible for this migration.