Effects of blinding on the ultrastructure of mouse pinealocytes with particular emphasis on the dense-cored vesicles

Summary

The mammalian pineal is thought to produce an antigonadotropic principle under conditions of reduced photoperiod, constant darkness or blinding by optic enucleation. A number of previous studies on mammalian pineals have suggested that the dense-cored vesicles present in pinealocytes may represent morphological evidence of secretory activity.

In the present study the ultrastructure of pinealocytes was studied in adult Charles River CD-1 mice blinded by optical enucleation. By one month following optic enucleation the mean number of dense-cored vesicles in the cytoplasm of pinealocytes adjacent to pericapillary spaces had significantly decreased by 55% when compared with intact controls, and remained at this low level at two months and six months. A relative increase in the proportion of large agranular vesicles and an increased number of large, irregular vacuoles was observed also in the pinealocytic polar processes of blinded mice. When compared to control mice the pinealocytic Golgi regions appeared to be hypertrophied in blinded mice. The apparent stimulation of pinealocytic organelles coupled with the observed decrease in dense-cored vesicles suggest an increased synthesis and release of secretory product.