The pinealocytes of the human pineal gland: a light and electron microscopic study

• Autorzy: Al-Hussain S M
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The pinealocytes of the pineal gland of children and adults were studied at both light and electron microscopic levels. The pinealocytes were classified into light and dark pinealocytes on the basis of their shape, nuclear infolding, cytoplasmic contents and staining density. The light pinealocytes outnumber the dark pinealocytes and both of them have thin processes. The light pinealocytes have round or oval cell bodies and nuclei and have vesicles and ribbons. The dark pinealocytes showed more variations in their shape. The nuclear membrane of the dark cells showed numerous infoldings with deep invagination of parts of the cytoplasm within the nuclear folds, giving the appearance of nuclear pellets. The dark pinealocytes contain pigment in their cytoplasm. In addition to the light and dark pinealocytes a very small cell type with an extremely thin and elongated cell body and nucleus was found. The cells of this type were almost always associated with vacuoles filled with flocculent material and accumulations of presumptive secretion in the extracellular compartment. The findings of this study were discussed in the light of the published data about the pinealocytes of human and non-human species.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

pinealocyte; man; pineal gland; light microscopy; electron microscopy

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Folia Morphologica
• Rocznik: 2006
• Tom: 65
• Numer: 3
• Strony: 181-187
• Opis fizyczny: p.181-187,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Al-Hussain S M

• Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan

Bibliografia

• 1. Bhatnagar KP (1988) Ultrastructure of the pineal body of the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus. Am J Anat, 181: 163–178.
• 2. Boya J, Calvo Jl, Rancano D (1995) Structure of the pineal gland in the adult cat. J. Pineal Res, 18: 112–118.
• 3. Calvo J, Boya J, Garcia-Maurino E (1988) Ultrastructure of the pineal gland in the adult dog. J Pineal Res, 5: 479–487.
• 4. Chang N, Bhatnagar KP, Tseng MT, Karim KB (1987) Ultrastructure of the pineal gland of the tropical bat Rousettus leschenaulti. Acta Anat, 128: 194–203.
• 5. Cozzi B, Ferrandi B (1984) The pineal gland of the horse, Morphological and histochemical results (with notes on the donkey and mule pineal). Basic Applied Histochem, 28: 81–90.
• 6. Cozzi B (1986) Cell types in the pineal gland of the horse: an ultrastructural and immunocytochemical study. Anat Rec, 216: 165–174.
• 7. Hasegawa A, Ohtsubo K, Izumiyama N, Shimada H (1990) Ultrastructural study of the human pineal gland in aged patients including a centenarian. Acta Pathol Jpn, 40: 30–40.
• 8. Ichimura T (1992) The ultrastructure of neuronal-pinealocytic interconnection in the monkey pineal. Microsc Res Tech, 21: 124–135.
• 9. Garcia-Maurino JE, Boya J (1992) Postnatal development of the rabbit pineal gland. A light and electron microscopic study. Acta Anat (Basel), 143: 19–26.
• 10. Karasek M, Hansen JT (1982) Ultrastructure of the pineal gland of the fox. Am J Anat, 163: 257–267.
• 11. Koshy S, Vettivel SK (2001) Varying appearances of calcification in human pineal gland: a light microscopic study. J Anat Soc India, 50: 1–6.
• 12. Krakowski G, Cieciura L (1992) Ultrastructural studies on the medulla of rabbit pineal gland in the diurnal rhythm. Folia Morphol (Warsz), 51: 291–298.
• 13. Mcnullty JA, Fox L, Taylor D, Miller M, Takaoka Y (1986) Synaptic ribbon populations in the pineal gland of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Cell Tiss Res, 243: 353–357.
• 14. Min KW, Seo IS, Song J (1987) Postnatal evolution of the human pineal gland. An immunohistochemical study. Labor Invest, 57: 724–728.
• 15. Moller M (1974) The ultrastructure of the human fetal pineal gland. Cell Tiss Res, 152: 13–30.
• 16. Jastrow H, Von Mach MA, Vollrath L (1997) The shape of synaptic ribbons in the rat pineal gland. Cell Tiss Res, 287: 255–261.
• 17. Jove M, Cobos P, Torrento M., Gilabert R, Piera V (1999) Embryonic development of pineal gland vesicles: a morphological and morphometrical study in chick embryos. Eur J Morphol, 37: 29–35.
• 18. Ohshima K, Hiramatsu K (1993) Ultrastructural study of post-hatching development in the pineal gland of the Japanese quail. J Vet Med Sci, 55: 945–950.
• 19. Satoh Y, Vollrath L (1988) Lack of synaptic ribbons in the pineal gland of BALB/c mice. J Pineal Res, 5: 13–17.
• 20. Tandler CJ, Rios H, Iraldi AP (1997) Differential staining of two subpopulations of Purkinge neurons in rat cerebellum with acid dyes. Biotech Histochem, 72: 231–239.
• 21. Tapp E, Huxley M (1972) The histological appearance of the human pineal gland from puberty to old age. J Pathol, 108: 137–144.
• 22. Vollrath L, Helms U, Cardinali DP (1990) Quantitative analysis of synaptic ribbons profiles in the pineal complex of male and female Pirbright-White guinea pigs. J Neural Transm Gen Sect, 82: 141–146.