A. Afonso et al., Glycogen granules in resting and inflammatory rainbow trout phagocytes - an ultrastructural study, DIS AQU ORG, 42(2), 2000, pp. 101-110
The ultrastructural image of glycogen granules in the cytoplasm of rainbow
trout phagocytes in sections stained by the conventional lead or uranyl-lea
d stains is highly dependent on fixation conditions, the granules being vis
ible only when adequate fixation protocols are used. Morphometry of samples
processed for the detection of peroxidase or esterase activities (to speci
fically label neutrophils and macrophages, respectively), and simultaneousl
y stained for the specific detection of glycogen, showed that inflammatory
peritoneal neutrophils were richer in glycogen granules than resting neutro
phils. This increase in glycogen content occurs after the migration from th
e haematopoietic tissues and peripheral blood to the inflamed foci. Glycoge
n granules could not be found in resting peritoneal macrophages but were fo
und in inflammatory macrophages. The macrophage granules occurred in smalle
r amounts than in neutrophils, and consisted of granules identical to those
of neutrophils together with significantly smaller granules. No evidence f
or the utilization of glycogen by neutrophils phagocytosing bacteria within
the peritoneal cavity was found.