Browsing by Subject "Adrenal medulla"

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    Stereology of human fetal adrenal medulla
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1996) Bocian-Sobkowska, J.; Woíniak, W.; Malendowicz, L.K.; Ginda, Waclaw J.
    Stereological studies were performed on 27 pairs of adrenal glands of human fetuses (9-38 weeks of intra-uterine development). Medullary chrornaffin cells were identified by irnrnunostaining for chromogranin-A. The volume of adrenal rnedulla, average cell volurne, and the number of chrornaffin cells were calculated. The volume of adrenal medulla increased slowly up to the 20th week and afterwards it enlarged rapidly to the 3 1 st week of the fetal period. A gradual, linear increase in the number of chromaffin cells of developing adrenal rnedulla was observed during the studied period. On the contrary, the average volurne of the adrenal medullary cells rernained quite constant until the 17th week of the development. Afterwards, a gradual, linear increase in the cell volume was observed until the 31 st week, reaching a plateau by the end of intra-uterine developrnent.
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    The effect of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on the adrenal medulla in hypophysectomized rats
    (Histology and histopathology, Vol.13, nº 1 (1998), 1998) Hoheisel, G.; Schauer, J.; Scherbaum, W. A.; Bornstein, S. R.
    CRH occurs in the adrenal medulla of rats. We were interested to know whether CRH affects medullary chromaffin cells in the absence of ACTH. We investigated the morphological changes of the adrenal medulla in Sprague Dawley rats with light and electron microscopy in normal rats, hypophysectomized rats, and hypophysectomized rats following injections of CRH (10 Jig = 3 nmol for three days). Chromaffin cells were characterized by immunohistochemistry (anti-tyrosine hydroxylase). At light microscopy level chromaffin cells of hypophysectomized rats were reduced in number. On electron microscopy the number of granules and cell organelles were decreased. Following injections of CRH the medulla regained a more compact texture with cell organelles homogenously distributed, but with chromaffin granules still being reduced in number. Immunohistochemistry allowed the identification of chromaffin cells located within the adrenal cortex. In hypophysectomized rats these cells showed fewer signs of alterations compared to cells located within the medulla itself and had recovered better after treatment with CRH. In conclusion. CRH seems to exert a trophic effect on chromaffin cells in the absence of pituitary ACTH. This observation may provide further evidence for a close interaction of the two neuroendocrine stress systems.