Chronic alcoholism and morphological changes in hypophyseal gonadotropic cells of rat [stereological and ultrastructural study]

ABSTRACT

Adenohypophysis of male albino rats received 15% solution of ethyl alcohol for five months was examined by light and electron microscopy for the detection of morphological changes in hypophyseal gonadotropic cells as compared with the control group. Light microscopy revealed hyperplasia and hypertrophy of gonadotropic cells with the presence of vacuoles of varying size in large gonadotrophs. The increase of the volume and the numerical density of the gonadotropic cells of alcoholized rats in comparison with the control ones was proved by recent stereological methods. Ultrastructural results showed an increase in the number and size of gonadotrophs with the presence of large vacuole, which was formed by fusion of dilated cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum. The results offered a morphological basis to the adoption of a biphasic effect of alcohol on gonadotropic secretion