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Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Method for Studying the Adrenal Chromaffin Cells
Anna Capaldo1,2, Maria De Falco3,4,5, Luigi Rosati3,4
1Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. anna.capaldo@unina.it.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|October 7, 2022
Summary
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can differentiate norepinephrine and epinephrine granules in adrenochromaffin cells. This protocol details TEM processing for adrenal tissue in various species.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Histology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Adrenochromaffin cells store catecholamines like norepinephrine and epinephrine.
- Distinguishing these catecholamine granules using traditional histochemical methods is challenging, especially when both are present in the same cell.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a detailed protocol for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of adrenochromaffin cells.
- To enable clear differentiation between norepinephrine and epinephrine granules within these cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing glutaraldehyde-osmium fixation techniques.
- Processing adrenal tissue samples for transmission electron microscopy.
- Applying the developed protocol to mammalian, reptilian, and amphibian adrenal tissues.
Main Results:
- Successfully established a reliable method for distinguishing norepinephrine from epinephrine granules via TEM.
- Demonstrated the efficacy of the protocol across diverse vertebrate species.
Conclusions:
- Transmission electron microscopy provides a superior method for identifying specific catecholamine granules in adrenochromaffin cells compared to histochemical techniques.
- The presented protocol is versatile and applicable to various adrenal tissues for ultrastructural analysis.
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