Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1977 May 16;180(2):263-82.
doi: 10.1007/BF00231958.

Morphological aspects of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal system. VII. The tanycytes: Their relation to the hypophyseal adrenocorticotrophic function. An ultrastructural study

Morphological aspects of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal system. VII. The tanycytes: Their relation to the hypophyseal adrenocorticotrophic function. An ultrastructural study

I G Akmayev et al. Cell Tissue Res. .

Abstract

The ultrastruct of the tanycyte ependyma in male 160-180 g Wistar albino rats was studied under normal conditions and in experiments involving long-term suppression of ACTH secretion and its long-term stimulation. The former was accomplished by daily (for 8 days) intraperitoneal administration of dexamethasone phosphate at low (5 microgram/100 g) and high (100 microgram/100 g) concentrations. The effectiveness of suppression of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-adrenal system in the experimental animals was judged by their reaction to two-minute ether stress (determination of plasma corticosterone) and by the results of measurement of the adrenal weights. Stimulation of ACTH secretion was achieved by bilateral adrenalectomy; the animals were examined on days 8, 10, 14, and 22 following the operation. The results obtained were in agreement with the previously established fact that there is a negative correlation between tanycyte activity and hypophyseal adrenocorticotropic function (Akmayed and Fidelina, 1974). They also testified to the predominant involvement of the median eminence tanycyte ependyma (beta-tanycytes according to the author's nomenclature) in these relationships. It is supposed that correlations are regulated by a feedback mechanism and attest to the involvement of beta-tanycytes in the inhibiting control of hypophyseal adrenocorticotrophic function. The mechanism of this control may be explained alternatively: either the tanycytes transport ACTH-suppression substances (catecholamines, corticosteroids, ACTH) from the CSF to the hypophyseal portal system or they themselves secrete substances possessing ACTH-suppressive activity. The authors distinguish several types of vesicles in the beta-tanycytes, the number of which changed with experimentally induced shifts in hypophyseal adrenocorticotrophic function. These vesicles are discussed in connection with the transport and secretory activity of the tanycytes and are considered to be a possible substrate of the hypothalamic inhibiting effect on ACTH secretion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Cell Tissue Res. 1974;154(1):1-16 - PubMed
    1. Acta Histochem. 1972;42(2):266-72 - PubMed
    1. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1972;132(4):553-62 - PubMed
    1. Cell Tissue Res. 1975;156(4):521-32 - PubMed
    1. Cell Tissue Res. 1974;152(3):403-10 - PubMed