title: Vascular networks and endothelial cells in the rat experimental pituitary glands and in the human pituitary adenomas.
abstract: There has been considerable interest in the relationship between hormone-secreting endocrine cells (HSEC) and their microvessels (MVN) in human pituitary gland. However, microcirculatory networks have rarely been studied in three dimensions (3D). Therefore, this study was designed to visualize and to reveal the relationship between hormone secreting endocrine cells and their microvessel environment including vascular endothelial cells in 3D using rat pituitary glands under various experimental conditions by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). By CLSM, the 3D distributions of MVN were visualized and revealed a relationship between HSEC and MVN in experimental pituitary glands and human pituitary adenomas. Therefore, 3D reconstructed imaging by CLSM is a useful technique with which to investigate the microvessel environment of hormone-secreting cells and has the potential to reveal dynamic hormone-secreting pathways.
authors.affiliation: Laboratories for Structure and Function Research, Tokai University School of Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, 259-1193 Japan. itohj@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Johbu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serizawa
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Yudo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teramoto
authors.forename: Robert Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Osamura
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D006728:Hormones; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone