Secretory granules of pituitary adenomas : quantitative study of hormonal antigenicity

• Published in: Acta neuropathologica Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 263 - 270
• Main Authors: KAMITANI, H, MASUZAWA, H, KANAZAWA, I, KUBO, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.03.2000; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antigenicity; Biological and medical sciences; Endocrinopathies; Female; Granule cells; Growth hormone; Hormones; Humans; Hypothalamus. Hypophysis. Epiphysis (diseases); Immunohistochemistry; Male; Medical sciences; Microscopy, Immunoelectron; Middle Aged; Non tumoral diseases. Target tissue resistance. Benign neoplasms; Pituitary; Pituitary hormones; Pituitary Hormones - immunology; Pituitary Neoplasms - immunology; Pituitary Neoplasms - pathology; Pituitary Neoplasms - ultrastructure; Prolactin; Prolactinoma - immunology; Prolactinoma - pathology; Prolactinoma - ultrastructure; Secretory vesicles; Tumors; Endocrinopathy; Human; Hormone; Antigenicity; Pituitary diseases; Exploration; Pituitary gland; Immunoelectron microscopy; Benign neoplasm; Adenoma; Secretion granule
• ISSN: 0001-6322; 1432-0533
• DOI: 10.1007/pl00007436

Ultrastructurally, the antigenicity of major pituitary hormones in secretory granules was quantitatively investigated in five growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenomas, five prolactin (PRL)-secreting adenomas and eight clinically non-functioning (CN-F) adenomas. Sparsely granulated cells with a few or several small secretory granules (60-100 nm) exhibiting little or only weak antigenicity of various biochemically unrelated hormones were commonly observed in CN-F adenomas and occasionally in GH- and PRL-secreting adenomas. GH- or PRL-secreting adenomas consisted of many densely granulated cells with medium-sized (200-250 nm) or large (over 250 nm) secretory granules and a few or several sparsely granulated cells with small secretory granules. The densely granulated cells showed intense GH or PRL antigenicity and slight to moderate antigenicity for other hormones in large secretory granules and little or only weak antigenicity for various hormones including GH or PRL in small secretory granules. Their secretory granules larger than 160 nm or 140 nm significantly exhibited intense GH or PRL antigenicity (Fisher's exact test; P < 0.05 and < 0.01, respectively). Two CN-F adenomas showed sparsely and densely granulated cells as well as intermediate cells. The densely granulated cells closely resembled GH-secreting cells. The intermediate cells simultaneously included small and medium-sized or large secretory granules exhibiting little/slight and intense GH-antigenicity, respectively. This study indicates that sparsely granulated cells of different categories showing slight antigenicity for various hormones, antigenically share the same origin, and that their hormonality, single or multiple, may be selectively activated in the developmental course of secretory granules.