Related Experiment Videos
Light bodies in human pituitary adenomas
Virchows Archiv. A, Pathological Anatomy and Histopathology
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Light bodies, large cytoplasmic granules, were found in some human pituitary adenomas. These structures, identical to those in rat pituitary cells, appeared in hormone-producing tumors but not normal pituitary tissue.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cell Biology
- Pathology
Background:
- Light bodies are large cytoplasmic granules identified in rat pituitary gonadotrophic cells.
- Their presence in human pituitary tissue has not been previously established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence of light bodies in the human anterior pituitary gland.
- To compare their ultrastructure with rodent light bodies.
Main Methods:
- Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine 89 pituitary adenomas and periadenomatous tissue from 20 human cases.
- Samples were analyzed for the presence of double membrane-bound granules with filamentous internal structures.
Main Results:
- Light bodies, identical to rodent ones, were identified in 10 hormone-producing human pituitary adenomas.
- These included prolactin (PRL), PRL-GH, growth hormone (GH), and ACTH-producing tumors.
- No light bodies were detected in the remaining 79 tumors or in the normal pituitary tissue.
Conclusions:
- Some human pituitary adenomas can contain light bodies.
- These structures are identical to those found in rat pituitary gonadotrophs.
- Their presence appears specific to certain hormone-producing pituitary tumors.