Light- and electron-microscopic features of an endocrinologically active pituitary adenoma cultured in vitro.

A pituitary adenoma from an acromegalic female patient has been studied in cell cultures. Two populations of parenchymal cells, i.e., elongated shapes and big pale forms with irregular outlines, were distinguished light-microscopically. Ultrastructurally, three types of cells were found. Two of them contained secretory granules in varying numbers and sizes. Based on the proportion of the various cellular elements these cells were considered as counterparts of the elongated shapes being responsible for the GH secretion at different rates. The third cell type with very few secretory granules was identified with the big pale forms. Presumably, they could be exhausted GH-secreting cells. Besides fine structural characterisation, cultured cells of endocrinologically active human pituitary adenomas offer suitable models for studying some phases of exocytosis and membrane retrieval.