Summary
Suitability of an ordinary incubation system for the culture of anterior pituitary tissues of mice was examined by electron microscopy. It was found that this system has many advantages over Trowell's standard technique for tissue culture and is particularly suitable for the short-term culture.
In this system the pituitary tissue cultures were maintained well for at least two days in a chemically defined tissue culture medium (TC 199) without any additives. Addition of 20% calf serum to the medium extended the period to up to five days. Any attempts to prolong it further, however, failed because of a massive necrosis and a great loss of the histological integrity.
In the cultured tissues there an enhancement of the LTH cells and a suppression of the other granulated types of cells were observed. The follicular cells were found to hypertrophy and to actively participate in phagocytosis of cell debris.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gaillard, P. J., Schaberg, A.: In: Cells and tissues in culture (E. N. Willmer, ed.), vol. 2, chap. 16, p. 631–695. London: Academic Press 1965.
Millhouse, E. W., Jr.: Ultrastructure of the rat and Mongolian gerbil anterior pituitary gland. Chicago Med. School Quart. 25, 114–128 (1965).
Okuno, T.: Experimental studies on the tissue culture of adenohypophysis, with special reference to GTH and TSH secretion. Folia endocr. jap. 42, 1008–1025 (1966).
Pasteels, J. L.: Recherches morphologiques et expérimentales sur la sécrétion de prolactine Arch. Biol. (Liegè) 74, 439–555 (1963).
Petrovic, A.: Étude cytologique, au microscope électronique, d'explants préhypophysaires cultivés in vitro. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 249, 1270–1271 (1959).
Trowell, O. A.: The culture of mature organs in a synthetic medium. Exp. Cell Res. 16, 118–147 (1959).
Yamashita, K.: Fine structure of the mouse anterior pituitary maintained in a short-term incubation system. Z. Zellforsch. 124, 465–478 (1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Grateful acknowledgement is made for the technical services of Mr. S. Terada, Mr. T. Anzai and Mr. S. Sasaki.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yamashita, K. A simple method for the cultivation of anterior pituitary tissues: Electron microscopical evaluation of the cultured tissues. Z. Anat. Entwickl. Gesch. 137, 106–113 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00523532
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00523532