The spleen, during a long time was considered an organ without a definite function. Nowadays it is considered an elaborate defense system, mainly of phagocitosis. The present study intends to present the influence of total splenectomy on total phagocytic capacity. Twenty-six male mice were used, 180 days old with medium weight of 289.5 g, which were divided in 3 groups: control ( n=10), sham (n=8) and experiment (n=8). The animals from control group were used to provide the phagocytosis standard. The sham group were submitted to median laparotomy under general anesthesia with peritoneal sodium-thiopental. The experiment group suffered the same process and total splenectomy. After 7 days, blood samples were taken and iron solution was injected (2mg/kg). New blood samples were collected after 5 minutes, and 15 minutes of injection. The serum iron from the samples were dosed and the phagocytosis index were calculated from the equation of Biozzi et al. The phagocytosis index were similar in control and sham groups (p=0,143086) and lower in experiment group (p=0,000685). The total phagocytic capacity is diminished after splenectomy in rats.
Splenectomy; Phagocytosis; Rats
