REACTION OF THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM TO TATTOOING

Abstract

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Aim. To describe the regional lymphatic system reaction to the tattooing. Material and Methods. Under anesthesia, tattooing was performed in the back region of 30 nonlinear white rats (males). The experimental animals were sacrificed on the 10th day after tattooing. The samples of tattoo areas and regional lymph nodes were processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin in compliance with the standard protocol and histologically examined. Results and Discussion. The pathohistological examination of the lymph nodes showed that the main accumulation of the tattoo pigment occurred along the lymph node sinuses. The ink accumulation was mainly detected in the marginal sinus and medullary sinuses as well. In the lymph nodes, the boundary between the cortex and medulla was not clearly observed due to the heavy pigment infiltration. In the cortex, the follicles with poorly-defined germinal center were identified. The cellular component of the follicles in the cortex included lymphocytes, plasma cells and few macrophages. In the periphery of the germinal centers the pigment deposits were scanty. In the medulla, the pigment deposits were identified along the cords and sinusoids. Conclusions. The lymphatic system was involved into the spread of the tattoo pigment via the regional lymph vessels and lymphatic nodes.