Summary
The ultrastructure of the pancreatic islets was studied in seven surgical specimens of human pancreas. The effects of two different fixation methods were compared: osmium tetroxide alone and glutaraldehyde followed by osmium. On the basis of their ultrastructural characteristics, four main types of islet cells were identified: 1. B cells, with polymorphous, often crystalline granules contained in wide sacs. 2. A cells with rounded granules enclosed in tight fitting sacs and composed of an electron-dense core surrounded by a clearer halo. 3. Type III cells, with rounded, large homogeneous granules of varying sizes and electron densities. They presumably secrete gastrin. Comparable cells were found in samples of human gastric and duodenal mucosae. 4. Type IV cells, with rounded, small, homogeneous granules of low electron density. Comparable cells were found in human gastric and duodenal mucosae. The nature of their secretion remains obscure. A fifth cell type was observed in the pancreas but was not restricted to the islets. Cells of type V have small, polymorphous and very electron-dense granules. They offer a certain resemblance with the serotonin secreting cells which are found in the digestive tract.
Résumé
L'ultrastructure des îlots de Langerhans a été étudiée sur des prélèvements chirurgicaux de sept pancréas humains. Les effets de la fixation par le tétroxyde d'osmium seul et par la glutaraldéhyde suivie d'osmium ont été comparés. Quatre types cellulaires ont pu être identifiés: 1. Cellules B, à granulation polymorphe, de structure fréquemment cristalline, incluses dans de larges vésicules. 2. Cellules A à granules arrondis, composés d'un noyau dense entouré par un halo clair et inclus à l'étroit dans une enveloppe membranaire. 3. Cellules du type III à grosses granulations arrondies, de structure homogène, de densité et de forme variables. Ces cellules sécrètent peut-être de la gastrine. Des éléments similaires ont été rencontrés dans les muqueuses gastrique et duodénale. 4. Cellules du type IV, à petites granulations homogènes et pâles. Des éléments similaires ont été aperçus dans les muqueuses gastrique et duodénale; leur fonction reste inconnue. Des cellules d'un cinquième type se voient dans le pancréas, même en dehors des îlots. Elles sont caractérisées par de petits granules, très denses et polymorphes: elles offrent une certaine ressemblance avec les cellules à sérotonine que l'on trouve dans le tube digestif.
Zusammenfassung
Die Ultrastruktur der Langerhans-schen Inseln wurde an Hand von chirurgischen Probe-exzisionen an 7 menschlichen Pankreata studiert. Die Ergebnisse der Fixierung durch Osmium-Tetraoxyd einerseits und durch Glutaraldehyd gefolgt von Osmium anderseits wurden verglichen. So konnten vier Zelltypen identifiziert werden: 1. B-Zellen mit polymorphen, und oft kristallinen Granulationen, die in breiten Säckchen eingeschlossen sind. 2. A-Zellen, mit runden Granulationen und einem dichten Kern, welcher von einem hellen Hof umgeben ist und durch eine Membran eng eingehüllt wird. 3. Ein dritter Zelltyp, mit dicken, runden, homogenen Granulationen veränderlicher Form und Dichte. Diese Zellen sezernieren vielleicht Gastrin. Gleichartige Zellen wurden in der Magenund Duodenumschleimhaut gefunden. 4. Ein vierter Zelltyp, mit kleinen, bleichen und homogenen Granulationen. Gleichartige Zellen wurden in der Magenund Duodenumschleimhaut gefunden. Ihre Funktion ist unbekannt. Man kann im Pankreas, auch außerhalb der Inseln, einen fünften Typ von Zellen sehen. Er unterscheidet sich durch kleine, sehr dichte, polymorphe Granulationen. Sie gleichen einigermaßen den Serotonin-Zel-len des Darmes.
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Deconinck, J.F., Potvliege, P.R. & Gepts, W. The ultrastructure of the human pancreatic islets. Diabetologia 7, 266–282 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211879
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211879