Studies on the anterior lobe of pituitary in the intersexual goats

Abstract

The anterior pituitary (AP) at the time of immaturity and maturity of genetically intersexual goats were studied cytohistologically, physiologically and histochemically in comparison with normal males and females and castrates,
(1) No significant difference was observed between the sexes in the index of gland weight to body weight.
(2) In the cytological study of the AP, it was found that every type of secretory cell -α, β and γ- of the intersexes was larger in size than those of the normal sexes. The frequency of the α cells were similar in the several groups studied. However, the frequency of β cells in the intersexes was far lower than those of normal sexes or of castrates. The frequency of chromophilic cells in the normal sexes seemed to increase with growth until sexual maturity was reached, but this was not the case with the intersexes. The differences in the frequency of these cells in the intersexual types were not remarkable. The frequency of the β cells in castrates was the highest of all. In mature intersexes and castrates most of the chromophilic cells were in the phase of storage.
(3) The specific gigantic cells rich in granules were appeared in certain lobules of the glands of intersexes at the time of sexual maturity. They were not found in immature intersexes. These specific cells were found to be greater in size and frequency in the medial type of intersex which had the most abnormal gonads, These seemed to originate from β cells with similar cytological aspects and showed no change in size and frequency with age after sexual maturity. In the castrates, neither "castration cells" nor related specific cells were found,
(4) The gonadotropic potency of the AP (FSH and LH) was assayed separately in each sex with infantile rats used as fhe recipients. In FSH the potency of the AP of the castrates was highest and followed by that of the intersexes. In intersexes, the more abnormal the gonads which the mediel type had were, the higher the potency was.The potency of the AP of the female type of intersex was as low as that of the normal female. The potency of the AP of the male was the lowest of all mature goats. Further, the AP of immature medial intersexes showed only slight follicle stimulating action.
In regard to LH, the results obtained in the various sexes were similar to the former assays, but group differences were not as great as in the former assay with the dosage administered,
(5) In both histochemical reactions of silver and alkaline phosphatase, the intensity of the stain generally varied with the cell types; it was the most intense in the α calls, weaker in the β cells, and the weakest in the γ cells. In the specific β cells of the intersexes it was as weak as in γ cells.
The differences between the sexes were more distinct in the latter reaction. Those of the normal sexes were very strong, but those of the intersexes were as weak as those of the castrates. The reaction in the immature intersex was as intense as those in the immature normal sexes, and rather stronger than those of the mature intersexes. These histochemical results in mature animals seem to suggest that the activity of the cells in the AP of both intesex and castrate was weaker than that of the normal sexes.
(6) The cause of these abnormalities in the AP of intersexual goats is unknown, but it may be plausible that genetical defect in transforming of β cells from γ cells and decrease of degranulation activity of β cells induced by dysfunction of gonads may play roles.