1988 Volume 79 Issue 4 Pages 666-672
Although autotransplantation of the adrenal tissue has been performed clinically, the result so far is not satisfactory. There are many factors that may affect the graft survival; streoid replacement, endogenous or exogenous ACTH, the size and volume of the transplanted tissue, the transplanted site and so forth.
In order to find the suitable condition for autotransplantation, we performed adrenal autotransplantation in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were used. After bilateral adrenalectomy, immeddiate autotransplantation to the flank muscle pocket was performed with a unilateral adrenal gland divided into eight pieces (the autotransplanted group). The control group underwent a sham operation consisting of an abdominal incisions and identification of bilateral adrenal glands. Animals were maintained on a regular diet with physiological saline solution ad lib. At 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 days after surgery, 5 animals of each group were sacrificed after obtaining blood and urine sample for determination of corticosterone, sodium and potassium concentration. At the same time the grafts were taken out and submitted to hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, histchemical study of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and electron microscopy.
After surgery, plasma corticosterone concentration of the autotransplanted group increased gradually and reached the control level on the 56th day following surgery. In the histological study, the autotransplanted adrenal gland showed early necrosis of the medulla and the cortex on the third day. On the 7th day, regeneration was observed starting from the outer cortical cells adjacent to the adrenal capsule. On the 56th day, the cortical zonation was found to be restored. Staining showing 3β-HSD activity was noted in the regenerated adrenal tissue histochemically on the 7th day. The intensity of 3β-HSD staining increased in the regenerated cells with the progress of the regeneration. The fine structural changes accompanying regeneration of the autotransplanted tissue revealed the mitochondria of tubular type in the outer cortical cell on the 7th day and additionally those of vesicular type in the inner cortical cell on the 56th day.
The correlation between the increase of plasma corticosterone concentration and the histological findings of regeneration was closely demonstrated in this experiment. Therefore, this experiment should be used to further evaluate variable factors affecting the graft survival.
