Histology of Developing Plasma Cell Neoplasia Induced By Mineral Oil in BALB/c Mice

Early stages of the histogenesis of plasma cell neoplasia were observed in BALB/c mice given intraperitoneal injections of mineral oil. These changes were found exclusively in the mesenteric oil granulomas, and consisted of focal collections of proliferating plasma cells. It could not be determined from the histologic evidence whether the plasma cells of the oil granuloma differentiated in situ from a tissue cell such as the perivascular adventitial cell of capillaries, or from a cell of distant origin that migrated into the oil granuloma, e.g., a lymphocyte.