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Endocrine cells of the human gastric mucosa

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Summary

By light and electron microscopy investigation of the human gastric mucosa five types of ultrastructurally different endocrine cells have been detected: 5-hydroxytryptamine storing enterochromaffin (EC) cells, gastrin storing G cells, and functionally undefined ECL, D and D1 cells. By direct application of Masson's argentaffin reaction as well as of Sevier-Munger's and Grimelius' argyrophil method to electron microscopy specimens, selective deposition of silver grains upon the endocrine granules of such cells was obtained. In particular, only EC cell granules reacted to the argentaffin method, granules of both EC and ECL cells heavily reacted to Sevier-Munger's technique, granules of EC, ECL, G and D1 cells reacted to Grimelius' technique, while D cell granules failed to react either to argentaffin or argyrophil methods. By the application of the same silver methods to paraffin sections as well as by other selective staining methods for endocrine granules (5-hydroxytryptamine techniques, lead-haematoxylin, HCl-basic dye method), at least four of the above cell types were also identified under light microscope. This opens the way for extensive studies of such cells in conventional histologie specimens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathological Anatomy, The University of Pavia, Italia

    Gabriele Vassallo, Carlo Capella & Enrico Solcia

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  1. Gabriele Vassallo
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  2. Carlo Capella
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  3. Enrico Solcia
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This investigation was supported in part by grant N.70.01022.04 from the Italian Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.

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Vassallo, G., Capella, C. & Solcia, E. Endocrine cells of the human gastric mucosa. Z. Zellforsch. 118, 49–67 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331766

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