家兎及びラット卵巣黄体の電子顕微鏡的研究

抄録

Only a few observations of ovary by electron microscopy, regardless of animal species, have been reported, and none of rabbit corpus luteum. The rabbit ovary has no corpus luteum of sexual cycle like the other species. This is important as an object of study. It was assumed by Limon that interstitial gland cells of rabbit might carry on an endocrynological function and since then many results have been reported of endocrynological significance of the interstitial gland. In view of clarifying these points, the present study has been carried out.
Corpola lutea from pregnant rabbits and rats (at initial stage, middle stage and terminal stage) and the postpuerperal animals (lactating and non-lactating during 5 days) and interstitial glands only from rabbits in each class were employed. After fixation with 1% osmium tetroxide solution being buffered to pH 7.6 with veronal acetate, they were embedded either in methacrylate mixture or epoxy resin 812. In addition, all the left ovaries were examined with Sudan staining, O₂-Schiff reaction and Schulz reaction etc. for reference.
Cell margin, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, liquid granules, vacuolelike granules and vacuolar granules as we call them, and other organelles turn the feature remarkably in the lutein cells of both species with pregnant and postpuerperal passage. As compared with the fine structure of lutein cells from rabbits and rats, it is generally similar, except for the marked difference of the shape of lipid granules. The smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum is well developed in the lutein cells and interstitial gland cells, and there are a great number of vesicular components within the cytoplasm through the whole stage. It forms meshe-like area at the initial stage of pregnancy here and there in lutein cytoplasm, and vesicular compoments are the most developed in the lutein cells at the middle and terminal stage of pregnancy. The formation of a meshe-like structure is more conspicuous in the case of rabbit, and there are less mitochondria near the area. It is interesting that the some variations of electron density is observed among numerous vesicles in the cytoplasm of single cell. It is suggested conclusively as follows ; endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria might play the greatest role in steroid hormone production, and the matter connected with the discontinuous portion of cell margin and endoplsmic reticulum might be the most important in a point of the release. Golgi complex dose not show any considerable extension and transformation of ultrastructural figure in any case. Therefore, it is difficult to find that Golgi complex has a special significance for endocrinological activity. Polymorphous dence bodies or cytolysomes are observed a little in the interstitial gland cells as well as in the lutein cells a t the initial and postpuerperal stages, which are less in rats than rabbits.