Ultrastructure of the adrenocortical homologue in dexamethasone-treated eels.
The ultrastructural modifications of the adrenocortical homologue (AH) in the North American eel (Anguilla rostrata) were studied following a 10 day treatment with dexamethasone (20 mg/day). The principal changes were: disorganization of smooth endoplasmic reticlum, regression and fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus, and a lowering of matrix density in the mitochondria. Steroid treatment also induced the appearance of numerous cytoplasmic inclusions: (a) lamellated bodies with electron-lucent cores; (b) membranous whorls isolating cytoplasmic regions containing smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria and (c) complex aggregates showing whorls of membranes, residues of cytoplasmic organelles, and dense matrix. The non-accumulation of lipid droplets in repressed AH cells was noteworthy. These subcellular changes indicate endogenous cellular autophagy in the AH as a result of steroid-induced suppression of ACTH production by the pituitary.
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000811:Anguilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008854:Microscopy, Electron
D003907:Dexamethasone