Ultrastructural changes of female Syrian hamster cystic duct epithelium as a result of sex steroid treatment.

Ultrastructural changes of female Syrian hamster cystic duct epithelium as a result of sex steroid treatment.

Gilloteaux J; Karkare S; Kelly T R

Tissue & cell

1995

1995-04

In view of the lack of sufficient data regarding the morphology of the cystic duct and the extensive focus on the gallbladder, a preliminary examination of the cystic duct response to female sex steroid treatment was conducted to follow up a detailed ultrastructural study of the gallbladder epithelial response to a similar treatment. As observed in the gallbladder epithelium, the cystic duct epithelial cells of nulliparous Syrian hamsters demonstrate morphologic changes in response to female sex steroid treatment. Control (C) cystic duct epithelial cells are covered by short microvilli and each cell appears to exhibit a single vestigial cilium. Estrogen (E)- and estrogen + medroxyprogesterone (E + MP)-treatments induce differential duct cell morphologic changes. These changes are the result of steroid treatments in the significant decreasing sequence E \textgreater E + MP \textgreater C for nuclear volume, indentations and perinuclear lysosomal/lipofuscin bodies. Moreover E + MP-treatment results in larger cytoplasmic volume and more sloughing of apical cell excrescences than following E treatment. It is suggested that, similar to that in the gallbladder, the action of progestin is paramount in favoring cytoplasmic morphological changes in the cystic duct which, along with the alteration of mucus, cell sloughing, decreased bile acids and motility could also participate in the gallstone nucleation process as they are brought into the gallbladder with the incoming bile flow.

Animals; Cell Nucleus/drug effects/ultrastructure; Combination; Cricetinae; Cystic Duct/*drug effects/*ultrastructure; Drug Therapy; Epithelium/drug effects/ultrastructure; Estrogens/*pharmacology; Female; Gallbladder/drug effects/ultrastructure; Medroxyprogesterone/*pharmacology; Mesocricetus

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