Summary
In two experiments carried out on two alternate days, the 24-hrhythmicity of pineal gland volume, pinealocyte nuclear size in cortex and medulla and mitotic actty were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats, to assess to what extent morphological parameters reflect the pronounced day/night differences in pineal melatonin formation. Pineal volume exhibited statistically significant changes in the second experiment only, with a distinct trough at 6 p.m. Karyometry revealed highly variable patterns. In the first experiment, pinealocyte nuclear changes lacked parallelism in cortex and medulla. The cortex exhibited a bimodal curve with peaks at noon of the first day and at 6 a.m. of the second day, and two troughs at 6 a.m. and midnight respectively of the first day. The medulla showed no clear-cut rhythmicity. In the second experiment, cortex and medulla reacted similarly, nuclear size decreasing from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., remaining low thereafter. Mitotic activity of pinealocytes is low (on average 23 mitotic figures/gland). In both experiments statistically significant differences existed between certain times, pointing in the direction of 24-hrhythmicity, but whereas the curve exhibited a peak at midnight in the first experiment, mitotic activity in the second experiment showed a trough at midnight. It is concluded that for as yet unexplained reasons morphological parameters do not appear to accurately reflect circadian rhythmicity of pineal melatonin formation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Axelrod, J., Wurtman, R. J., Snyder, S. H.: Control of hydroxyindole O-methyltransferase activity in the rat pineal gland by environmental lighting. J. biol. Chem.240, 949–954 (1965).
Balemans, M. G. M., Legerstee, W. C., van Benthem, J.: Day and night rhythms in the methylation of N-acetylserotonin/5-hydroxytryptophol in the pineal gland of male rats of different ages. J. Neural Transm.45, 265–272 (1979).
Balemans, M. G. M., Bary, F. A. M., Legerstee, W. C., van Benthem, J.: Seasonal variations in HIOMT activity during the night in the pineal gland of 21 day old male Wistar rats. J. Neural Transm.49, 107–116 (1980).
Bargmann, W.: Die Epiphysis cerebri. In: Handbuch der mikroskopischen Anatomie des Menschen, Vol. VI/4 (v. Möllendorff, W., ed.), pp. 309–502. Berlin: Springer. 1943.
Boeckmann, D.: Morphological investigation of the deep pineal of the rat. Cell Tissue Res.210, 283–294 (1980).
Diehl, B. J. M.: Occurrence and regional distribution of calcareous concretions in the rat pineal gland. Cell Tissue Res.195, 359–366 (1978 a).
Diehl, B. J. M.: Occurrence and regional distribution of striated muscle fibers in the rat pineal gland. Cell Tissue Res.190, 349–355 (1978 b).
Diehl, B. J. M.: Time-related changes in size of nuclei of pinealocytes in rats. Cell Tissue Res.218, 427–438 (1981).
Heiniger, H. J.: Histologie der Epiphyse des Schweines hinsichtlich Geschlecht und Alter. Zeiss Mitt. Fortschr. techn. Opt.3, 301–353 (1965).
Lange, O., Lange, R.: Über die Abhängigkeit des Zellkernvolumens und der Zellkernoberfläche vom großen Durchmesser bei invariabler Fläche des Projektionsquerschnittes und über eine neue Bestimmung des Segmentationsgrades 2. Ordnung. Zool. Jb. Anat.92, 465–496 (1974).
Merritt, J. H., Sulkowski, T. S.: Alterations of pineal gland biorhythms by N-methyl-3-piperidyl benzilate. J. Pharmacol. exp. Therap.166, 119–124 (1969).
Quay, W. B.: Circadian rhythm in rat pineal serotonin and its modifications by estrous cycle and photoperiod. Gen. comp. Endocrinol.3, 473–479 (1963).
Quay, W. B., Levine, B. E.: Pineal growth and mitotic activity in the rat and the effects of colchicine and sex hormones. Anat. Rec.129, 65–77 (1957 a).
Quay, W. B., Levine, B. E.: Postnatal growth and mitotic activity in the rat pineal and the effects of cholchicine and sex hormones. Anat. Rec.127, 441 (1957 b).
Quay, W. B., Renzoni, A.: Twenty-four-hour rhythms in the pineal mitotic activity and nuclear and nucleolar dimensions. Growth30, 315–324 (1966).
Rather, L. J.: The significance of nuclear size in physiological and pathological processes. Ergebn. allg. Path. u. Pathol. Anat.38, 127–199 (1958).
Reiter, R. J.: The Pineal Gland, Volume I, Anatomy and Biochemistry. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. 1981.
Reiter, R. J., Craft, C. M., Johnson, J. E., jr. King, T. S., Richardson, B. A., Vaughan, G. M., Vaughan, M. K.: Age-associated reduction in nocturnal pineal melatonin levels in female rats. Endocrinology109, 1295–1297 (1981).
Renzoni, A., Quay, W. B.: Daily karyometric and mitotic rhythms of parenchymal cells in the rat. Amer. Zool.4, 416–417 (1964).
Rudeen, P. K., Reiter, R. J., Vaughan, M. K.: Pineal serotonin-N-acetyltransferase activity in four mammalian species. Neurosci. Letters1, 225–229 (1975).
Semm, P., Vollrath, L.: Electrophysiological evidence for circadian rhythmicity in a mammalian pineal organ. J. Neural Transm.47, 181–190 (1980).
Vollrath, L.: Comparative morphology of the vertebrate pineal complex. Progr. Brain Res.52, 25–38 (1979).
Vollrath, L.: The Pineal Organ. In: Handbuch der mikroskopischen Anatomie des Menschen, Vol. VI/7 (Oksche, A., Vollrath, L., eds.). Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer. 1981.
Vollrath, L., Kantarjian, A., Howe, C.: Mammalian pineal gland: 7-day rhythmic acitivity? Experientia31, 458–460 (1975).
Wallace, R. B., Altman, J., Das, G. D.: An autoradiographic and morphological investigation of the postnatal development of the pineal body. Am. J. Anat.126, 175–183 (1969).
Wallen, E. P., Yochim, J. M.: Rhythmic function of pineal hydroxyindole-Omethyl transferase during the estrous cycle: an analysis. Biol. Reprod.10, 461–466 (1974).
Weinberg, U., D-Eletto, R. D., Weitzman, E. D., Erlich, S., Hollander, C. S.: Circulating melatonin in man: Episodic secretion throughout the light-dark cycle. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.48, 114–118 (1979).
Welker, H. A., Schühle, A., Vollrath, L.: Infradian rhythms of serotonin-Nacetyltransferase in the pineal gland of male rats. J. interdiscipl. Cycle Res.221 (1982, in press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the Schwerpunktprogramm Neuroendokrinologie, grant Vo. 135/4-6.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Becker, U.G., Vollrath, L. 24-hour-variation of pineal gland volume, pinealocyte nuclear volume and mitotic activity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. J. Neural Transmission 56, 211–221 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01243279
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01243279