1176 Doaa M. Mokhtar et al.
their diameter (20.9±2.3 µm, Table 1) and the presence of dilated blood sinusoids in between them. The cytoplasm of these cells was loaded with small lipid droplets (Fig. 1f).
The Adrenal Medulla The adrenal medulla, which consisted of chromaffin cells
and sympathetic ganglion cells, in addition to TCs, nerve fibers, blood capillaries, aswell as sinusoids,was investigated. The chromaffin cells were polyhedral in shape with rounded, eccentric nucleus with 1–2 nucleoli that were arranged in nests and classified into adrenalin cells (A-cells) and nora- drenaline cells (NA-cells).
Fig. 1. Semithin sections of the adrenal cortex of the control and melatonin-treated group stained with toluidine blue. a,b: Groups of polygonal cells of zona glomerulosa in the control and treated group with lipid droplets (arrowheads). Note, cellular hypertrophy and many telocytes (arrows) in the treated group. c,d: The fasciculate zone con- sisted of large polyhedral cells arranged radially with lipid droplets in the cytoplasm (arrowheads). Note, the vacuolar cytoplasm and numer- ous blood sinusoids (arrows) and nerve fibers (asterisks) in the treated group. e,f: The cells of reticularis zone arranged in network surround- ing narrow blood sinusoids (arrowheads) in the control group and wide ones in the treated animals. Note the alteration in the size of the cellsand theirfullnesswithsmall lipiddropletsinthe treatedgroup,so the cell boundaries become less distinct in this group.
wide and numerous blood sinusoids (Fig. 1d). However, the most prominent alteration encountered in the cells of the zona reticularis was the highly significant increase in
The control group. The A-cells were stained intensely with toluidine blue. On the other hand, NA-cells appeared larger in size with a large spherical nucleus and stained lightly with toluidine blue (Fig. 2a). The ganglion cells were scattered singly or in groups between the cells of adrenal medulla that appeared polyhedral in shape with lightly stained cytoplasm and a large rounded vesicular nucleus, eccentrically located (Fig. 2c). Narrow and irregular blood vessels were distributed between chromaffin cells (Fig. 2e). Very few secretory granules were recorded in the chromaffin cells of the control group (Fig. 3a). Small bundles of nerve fibers were observed in the medulla (Fig. 3c). Few, small and deeply stained TCs were distributed around the chromaffin cells (Fig. 3e).
The treated group. A stimulatory response to melatonin in form of evident significant increase in the diameter, and number of chromaffin cells and increase the intensity of the cytoplasm of A-cells was encountered (Table 1, Fig. 2b). The diameter of ganglion cells showed a significant increase after melatonin treatment (Table 1) and their nuclei appeared large with prominent nucleoli, while their cytoplasm was more granular as compared with control group (Fig. 2d). Numerous sinusoidal vessels with large diameter were observed in the treated group (Fig. 2f). Moreover, the number of secretory granules was exclusively
Table 1. Morphometric Measurement of Adrenal Gland in Control and Melatonin-Treated Group Measurements
Diameter of cells of zona glomerulosa (μm) Diameter of cells of zona fasciculate (μm) Diameter of cells of zona reticularis (μm) Number of chromaffin cells/50 μm2 Diameter of chromaffin cells (μm) Diameter of ganglion cells (μm)
The diameter of secretory chromaffin granules (nm) Diameter of Schwann cells (μm) The number of TCs/20 μm2 The length of Tps (μm)
Diameter of secretory vesicles (nm) of TCs The number of secretory vesicles of TCs/20 μm2
The measurements are expressed as the mean±SE. TCs, telocytes; Tps, telopodes. **p<0.01, *p<0.05.
Control Group 10.6±1.3
15.6±0.95 10.1±0.7 22.2±1.1 11.7±0.98 10.5±1.3
225.1±12.3 3.6±0.48 3.12±0.34 22.42±2.76 396.99±8.8 4.1±0.5
Treated Group 18.9±2.0**
19.1±0.89* 20.9±2.3** 25.9±1.4*
19.5±0.65** 19.1±1.7**
285.4±14.5** 5.1±0.54*
5.29±0.49** 51.25±3.94** 784.96±9.3** 18.5±0.7**
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180
