Immunohistochemical and electron microscopical studies of mitotic adenohypophysial cells in different ages of rats.

Mitotic rates of the six types of immunohistochemically identifiable adenohypophysial cells were histometrically calculated in colchicine-pretreated male rats 5, 17, 30 and 70 days old. Sections were stained with the antisera against rLH, rFSH, rTSH, oGH, rPRL and pACTH1-39. The mitotic growth rate of the anterior pituitary gland at 30 days of age was much higher than at other times. Mitotic growth rates of GH and PRL cells increased with advancing age, while those of ACTH-TSH- and immunonegative cells decreased with advancing age. LH/FSH cells showed no variation in mitotic growth rate with age. Mitotic cells can be classified into six cell types based on their fine structural properties: (1) agranular cells associated with the folliculo-stellate cells; (2) ambiguous cells with scanty minute secretory granules (50-150 nm in diameter); (3) basophils with a number of small secretory granules (130-200 nm); (4) immature acidophils whose large secretory granules (130-300 nm) are sporadically scattered; (5) acidophils with numerous spherical larger secretory granules (200-300 nm); and (6) prolactin cells with large polymorphic granules. At day 5 there was a high mitotic rate of the agranular and ambiguous cells [types (1) and (2)]; at day 70 a high mitotic rate was found in immature and mature acidophils [types (4) and (5)]. The mitotic rate of basophils (type 3) was high only at day 17 and low at all other times. The mitotic rate of prolactin cells (type 6) showed a slight increment with advancing age. It is concluded that the mitotic rates of the six cell types are age-dependent.