title: Stereological and functional investigations on isolated adrenocortical cells. I. Adrenocortical cells of normal adult rats.
abstract: The function and morphology of isolated rat adrenocortical cells were investigated. Capsular (zona glomerulosa) cells secreted aldosterone, progesterone and small amounts of corticosterone; inner (zonae fasciculata and reticularis) cells produced corticosterone and progesterone. ACTH (10(-8) M) exposure caused a striking rise in aldosterone and corticosterone secretion by capsular cells, and in corticosterone release by inner cell preparations; simultaneously, progesterone secretion was significantly reduced. Capsular and inner cells possessed an average volume of 500 and 1250 micron 3, and ultrastructural qualitative and quantitative (stereological) features closely resembling those of zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata-reticularis cells in situ, respectively. ACTH exposure caused a notable lipid-droplet depletion in both types of isolated cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Andreis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavallini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rebuffat
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzocchi
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nussdorfer
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D008297:Male; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000450:Aldosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D003345:Corticosterone