Abstract
Various histochemical reactions, such as chromaffin, argyrophilic, and argentaffin reactions, and formalin-induced fluorescence, are commonly used to identify the so-called chromaffin cells which are one of the constituents of the APUD cells. With the purpose of finding out whether the former cells are composed of a single type of cells that possess all these characteristics, two or more methods mentioned above were applied to the adrenal gland, duodenum, and stomach of the male mouse on the same sections.
The procedure used for each reaction was as follows: six hours of fixation in Helly's solution for chromaffm reaction ; six hours of fixation in 10% formalin for formalin-induced fluorescence ; and methods by Masson-Fontana and by Grimelius for argentaffin and argyrophilic reactions respectively.
In order to find out whether chromaffin cells are the same as argentaffin and argyrophilic cells, silver impregnation was performed on sections which revealed chrornaffin cells after fixation in Helly's solution. All the chromaffin cells of the stomach and duodenum were rendered positive by argentaffin reaction while in the adrenal gland only the cells in the medulla with strong chromaffin reaction turned out to be argentaffin. All the chromaffin cells of the duodenum were also argyrophilic. In the stomach and duodenum the number of chromaffin cells was smaller than that of argentaffin or argyrophilic cells.
When the cells with forrralin-induced fluorescence were examined by applying silver impregnation to them, all the fluorescent cells in the adrenal medulla, sto7rach and duodenum turned positive to argentaffin reaction, and those in the duodenum showed positive argyrophilic reaction as well. In the duodenum there were fewer fluorescent cells than argentaffin or argyrophilic cells.
To find out whether the chromaffin cells showed formalin-induced fluorescence, chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, stomach and duodenum were observed under an ultraviolet light. This method indicated that all the chromaffin cells of the stomach and duodenum possessed formalin-induced fluorescence, although not all the fluorescent cells of the stomach were chromaffin cells.
From these observations we conclude that among the cells of the stomach and duodenum which are commonly called chromaffin cells, there exist some cells which show positive chromaffin, argentaffin and argyrophilic reactions and formalin-induced fluorescence while others only possess some of these characteristics, indicating that the so-called chromaffin cells are of a heterogenous population.
