Fig. 7
From: T cells affect thymic involution during puberty by inducing regression of the adrenal reticularis
Regression of zona reticularis by activation of peripheral T cells. Six-week-old BALB/c mice received i.p. anti-CD3 antibody or PBS as a control and were killed 5–60 h later for histological observation of the adrenal cortex by H&E staining. All mice were divided into three groups based on their length of treatment: 5–15, 20–30, and 40–60 h. The widths of the zona glomerulosa (ZG) (a), zona fasciculata (ZF) (b), and zona reticularis (ZR) (c) of the adrenal cortex from sections of each mouse were measured. Open and closed bars indicate PBS-treated and anti-CD3-treated groups, respectively. All data are presented as the mean ± SD (n = 3–8 per group). Asterisk indicates p < 0.05 compared to PBS control mice. d Histological presentation of a reduced ZR by 40 h of treatment with anti-CD3 antibody (right) and PBS control (left). Scale bars 50 μm