Some Observations on the Cytology of the Adenohypophysis of the Non-Parous Female Rabbit by M
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463 Some Observations on the Cytology of the Adenohypophysis of the Non-parous Female Rabbit By M. ALLANSON (Department of Biology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, W.C. 2) C. L. FOSTER (Department of Biology, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, W. 2) and G. MENZIES (Department of Anatomy, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, W. 2) With three plates (figs. 3, 4, and 6) SUMMARY Evidence is presented which suggests that in this animal the pars tuberalis may have some function in addition to acting as a bed for the hypophysial portal system, since its cells appear rich in RNA. The granules of the cells of the pars intermedia are shown to be PAS-positive, but this reaction, unlike that of the basiphil cells of the pars distalis proper and the zona tuberalis, is readily prevented by pretreatment of sections with proteolytic enzymes. A study of the basiphil cells of the pars distalis proper and of the zona tuberalis, based on cytological characteristics, size, and shape, provides some evidence for the existence of two, and possibly three, kinds of basiphil cell. The lipid inclusions of the adenohypophysial cells and their relationship to the Golgi elements are described, together with some brief preliminary observations upon the electron microscopic characteristics of acidophil and basiphil cells. INTRODUCTION HE results to be described here form part of an investigation into the Tcytology of the secretory cycle of the basiphil cells of the adenohypophysis of the rabbit. The cytological criteria of endocrine activity were discussed some years ago by one of the authors (Foster, 1942), and although considerable progress has been made since that time with the advent of new techniques, the assessment of the physiological state of adenohypophysial cells on the basis of their cytological characteristics is still a matter of uncertainty. The ultimate objective, then, of the present studies was, by using the coital reflex as a stimulus, to try to discover the cytological changes which occur in the gonadotrophic basiphil cells of the female during the successive phases of secretion discharge, restitution, and storage. From the outset, certain difficulties were encountered in the initial study of young non-parous oestrous animals to be used as controls for those which it was hoped would show post-coital changes. In this work it was decided to use the PAS method for the demonstration of the basiphils since this, having a histochemical basis, almost certainly gives more precise information con- cerning the distribution and granule content of these cells and is, therefore, [Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, Vol. 100, part 3, pp. 463-482, Sept. 1959.] 464 Allanson, Foster, and Menzies preferable to the Azan and Mallory methods used by Wolfe and others (1934), Dawson and Friedgood (1938), and Pearse (1951, 19526), in their studies on the rabbit hypophysis. Furthermore, it should be pointed out here, that the presence of intracellular granules containing mucoprotein demonstrated by this technique is probably a more reliable means of identification than the use of conventional dyes, since it is open to doubt whether the specific granules of these cells exhibit a true basiphilia at all. In any event the staining mixtures commonly used all consist of acid dyes. The propriety of continuing to apply the classical term 'basiphil' (or more usually basophil) to these cells will be briefly discussed later on. It was found that the fixation of glands by immersion gave unsatisfactory results in that the reaction in many of the basiphils was often very weak and very diffuse so that it appeared probable that the maximum demonstration of the mucoprotein material was not being achieved. This difficulty was to a con- siderable extent overcome by fixing by perfusion, after a preliminary washing out with 'dextraven' (Allanson, Foster, and Menzies, 1957), this preliminary fixation being followed by immersion of the glands in the same fixing fluid. Subsequently it was found that chilling the fluids to 50 C gave further im- provement. It was also noted that fixing by immersion in chilled fixative was a very considerable improvement upon the conventional method of fixing at room temperature. In the light of what has been said, it seemed desirable to re-investigate certain aspects of the cytology of the non-parous hypophysis, by using the fixation technique outlined above. The following is an account of the results obtained. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty non-parous animals, most of them 5 to 6 months old, were used. The ovaries were always examined in order to assess the degree of sexual maturity. Perfusion was achieved by cannulation of the left ventricle while the animals were under nembutal anaesthesia. The best results were obtained when the fluids used were chilled to about 5° C and the perfusion carried out at pressures not exceeding 50 mm Hg. After many preliminary experiments (see Allanson, Foster, and Menzies, 1957), 'dextraven' (5% fructose in dextran, 10% w/v solution) was adjudged the best fluid for the initial washing out of the blood. Although there was some degree of cell-shrinkage in comparison with glands fixed by immersion, this was felt to be more than compensated for by the intensity of the PAS reaction obtained in the basiphils of well perfused glands—an intensity rarely obtained when, as in earlier experiments, Ringer's and similar solutions were used. After the trial of several different fixatives it was found that for general purposes a fluid due to Baker (1944) consisting of a mixture of 10% neutral formalin with calcium and cadmium chlorides (FCC) gave the best results. Glands were, however, also fixed in Helly's fluid, a modified Bouin's fluid Adenohypophysis of the Rabbit 465 (Halmi, 1952), Champy's fluid, and Aoyama's fixative. These fixatives, some- times at 37° C and sometimes at 5° C, were perfused as described above and fixation was completed by immersion at room temperature for about 20 h. In conjunction with the principal staining technique—PAS followed by orange G made up in aqueous phosphotungstic acid, Crossmon's method (1937), Mallory's azocarmine, and Gomori's (1950) paraldehyde fuchsin (AF) were also used. In addition, use was made of the following special techniques: (a) Aoyama's technique for Golgi bodies followed by toning in gold chloride and treatment with PAS / orange G. (b) Baker's (1946) acid haematein test and its appropriate control for the demonstration of phospholipids. (c) Sudan black applied to thin frozen sections of material fixed in FCC, for the demonstration of lipochondria. (d) The azocarmine method of Dawson and Friedgood (1938) for the demonstration of carminophils. (e) Buffered solutions of methylene blue for the assessment of basiphilia in the granules of chromophil cells (Peterson and Weiss, 1955). (/) Pyronin and methyl green before and after treatment of sections with solutions of ribonuclease buffered at pH 6-8, for showing basiphilia due to RNA. (g) Gram's stain for basiphils (Foster and Wilson, 1952). (h) Perfusion with 'dextraven' and 1% osmium tetroxide buffered to pH 7-2 for phase contrast and electron microscopy. Frozen sections of un- stained material fixed in FCC were also used for the former purpose. (1) The incubation at 370 C of paraffin sections with 0-2% trypsin in tap- water or with 0-2% pepsin in N/100 HC1, to investigate the effect of proteolytic enzymes upon the chromophil granules. The observations recorded below were made on material fixed by perfusion, unless otherwise stated. For the study of the distribution of the cell types 5 \x. sections were cut in the sagittal or horizontal planes. RESULTS General morphology The disposition of the various zones of the rabbit's pituitary gland to be referred to in what follows are shown in fig. 1. The study of the general morphology of the adenohypophysis in material fixed both by immersion and perfusion confirmed the observations of other workers, notably Wolfe and others (1934), Dawson (1937), Green and Harris (1947), and Harris (1947). The most significant property of the pars distalis in this animal is its subdivision into two readily recognizable zones as follows. First, there is the very vascular zona tuberalis, continuous with the pars tuberalis and antero-ventral in position. Histologically this region contains numerous strongly PAS-positive basiphil cells, often occurring in groups. Associated with them are apparent chromophobes, both small and large; 466 Allanson, Foster, and Menzies acidophil cells are virtually absent except in the neighbourhood of the junction zone between this region and the pars distalis proper. The second part is the pars distalis proper, morphologically continuous with the pars intermedia, where, as pointed out by Dawson (1937), there is an intermingling of cells —pars intermedia cells spreading into the pars distalis and conversely. The pars distalis proper contains abundant acidophil cells which stain readily with sta k pars tuberalis infundibular process pars distalis proper connective tissue zona tuberalis FIG. 1. Diagrammatic representation of a sagittal section through the pituitary gland of a female rabbit. orange G. The basiphil cells, which give a strong reaction with PAS, are scattered in an apparently random fashion among the acidophil and chromo- phobe cells. They appear to be less grouped into clusters and, as will be com- mented upon more fully later, their size range appears to be significantly less than that of their counterparts of the zona tuberalis. The cytology of the pars tuberalis and the pars intermedia As is well known, the pars tuberalis extends from the infundibular stalk to become continuous with the zona tuberalis region of the pars distalis. That part in close association with the infundibular stalk is a very vascular tissue Adenohypophysis of the Rabbit 467 10)1 .