In situ heparin-induced peroxisomal reticulum and biogenesis of peroxisomes in pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs) of caprine lung: An ultrastructural and cytochemical study

Abstract

Pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs) contain a unique electron-dense globular surface-coat which is sensitive to heparin treatment, halothane anesthesia, and the digestive effect of lipolytic lipase (LPL), suggesting that the coat is predominantly composed of lipoproteins. In the present study, evidence is presented that heparin, when administered intravenously in goats, potentiated both the translocation of the surface-coat into the vacuolar system and the expansion of the Golgi apparatus. Sequentially, these changes were followed by proliferation of peroxisomes in combination with peroxisomal reticulum (PR), a transient precursor of this organelle. The peroxisomes, as well as PR, reacted positively for catalase after aldehyde fixation and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining. In addition to their role as phagocytes, the ultrastructural and cytochemical detection of peroxisomes suggests a functional capacity of the PIMs, which may be adaptable to the circulating level of free fatty acids (FAAs). © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.