Abstract
Twenty adult male albino mice were hypophysectomized, and sacrificed at various periods after this operation and ten normal litter mates were used as the controls. Animals used in this study were bestrain mice and they were two to five months old at the operation time. Tissues were weighed and fixed by BOUIN'S and ZENKER-formol fluid, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin, HEIDENHAIN'S iron hematoxylin (in testis) and modification of ZINSSER'S ('51) Ponceafuchsin method (in adrenal). The results obtained were as follows.
1) Macroscopic observations: As time went by after hypophysectomy, the all organs studied underwent a significant regression in both their size and weight, and faded from their normal color, though testes became brownish yellow. Testes and adrenals became very flabby. The changes in organ weight were summarized in Table 1.
2) Histological observations:
Testis: As the diameters of seminiferous tubules have decreased rapidly by the twentieth day after hypophysectomy, this decreasing rate became very slow. There were many spermatozoa in tubules until the tenth day or so after operation, but after fifteenth day only few were found in several tubules, and disappeared completely on the twentyfifth day. Spermatids and II-spermatocytes also disappeared on the twentyfifth day or so after operation, then germinal epithelia became thinner, only spermatogonia and I-spermatocytes were observed in the tubules, but their mitotic figures could be seen even on the fortieth day or so after hypophysectomy. The degenerative changes of interstitial cells, such as pycnosis and karyorrhexis, were observed in the testes on the fifth day after hypophysectomy, and cell boundary became obscure, so the cells were stained black strongly in a mass by Heidenhain's iron hematoxylin.
Adrenal: Even on the fifth day after hypophysectomy the cells of Zona, fasciculata atrophied and their lipid decreased in amounts, especially in the inner fasciculate zone, and as the days passed these changes became more prominent, and reached to the maximum on about thirtieth day after operation. The cells of Zona glomerulosa were observed to become hypertrophic, but such changes were rather slight. The remnant cells of X-zone were observed seldom and scattered near the cortico-medullar boundary membrane. This structure is very similar to that of the normal abult male. No significant change was observed in the medulla.
Accessory reproductive organs: Though the epithelial cells of ventral prostate and seminal vesicle were typical columnar cells in normal adult controls, in experiments the epithelial cells of ventral prostate became flattened and the "Light area" in their cytoplasma disappeared completely by the tenth day after hypophysectomy. At that period the height of the epithelial cells of seminal vesicle was reduced to less than one-half of normal height and "Halo-like area" disappeared from their cytoplasma, but very few secretion granula were found in the cytoplasma between nucleus and free margin of the cells. These figures were also observed even on the fortieth day after operation.
