Summary
Intrathecal administration of 20 μg of vincristine sulphate in the rat induced in vivo the formation of paracrystalline inclusions mainly in axonal processes. This is associated with an impairment in the migration of neurosecretory granules as shown by their accumulation in the perikarya of the magnocellular neurons. The granules are intermixed with numerous dense bodies of various shape, sometimes with a fibrillar content, and probably of lysosomal origin. In addition to the impairment of the flow of neurosecretory granules, there is also a striking accumulation of mitochondria and synaptic vesicles, and an apparent proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum.
In the posterior lobe, the axonal endings contain a large number of neurosecretory granules, intermingled with bodies of varying shapes and electron density. Occasionally, a dense membrane surrounding a group of elementary granules is observed, reacting positively for acid phosphatase. This suggests an attempted crinophagia.
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This work was supported by a grant (1973–1974) from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research and by grant n∘ 1120 from the Belgian National Fund for Medical Research. The authors wish to thank Mrs. D. Libert-Kaça for kindly typing the manuscript.
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Flament-Durand, J., Couck, A.M. & Dustin, P. Studies on the transport of secretory granules in the magnocellular hypothalamic neurons of the rat. Cell Tissue Res. 164, 1–9 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221691
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00221691