Human adenohypophyseal quantitative histochemical cell classification. I. Morphologic criteria and cell type distribution.

Recent advances in immunocytochemistry and histochemical staining have made it possible to identify pituitary cells that contain specific hormones by their appearance under light microscopy. Criteria for identification of functional cell classes were formulated from these studies. Fourteen hypophyses were obtained at the time of autopsy (four to 22 hours postmortem), embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and differentially stained. Cell counts on areas in the acidophil wing and basophil wedge were performed using the formulated criteria. Chromophilic thyrotrophic hormone cells and melanocorticotrophic hormone cells occurred significantly more frequently in glands from men, whereas the numbers of other cell types were statistically comparable in glands from both sexes. We were able to functionally classify 72.1% of 53,167 pituitary cells. Only 0.1% of presumptive secretory cells were completely chromophobic. Cell distribution patterns were similar to those previously described, with the exceptions that gonadotrophic cells were more prominent in the lateral wings and that prolactin cells had a more even distribution.