CELLULAR ORGANIZATION OF PINEAL GLAND OF HUMAN: AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective - to investigate the cellular composition of the human pineal gland. Material and methods. Immunohistochemical staining for cytospecific markers that selectively detect astroglial, endothelial, nerve, and mast cells was carried out to study pineal gland of 7 humans aged 16-68. Antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, light chain neurofilament protein (clone 2F11), and mast cell tryptase were used. Results. GFAP immunohistochemistry revealed a large number of astroglial processes, but few bodies of astroglial cells. The cells had relatively few primary processes, which were significantly thicker than those of stellate astrocytes in other parts of the brain. Astrocyte processes densely ensheathed the blood vessels and many concretions. Vimentin immunoreactivity was detected in many cellular processes in the stroma and partly in the parenchyma and in endothelial cells around the blood vessels. No coexistence of GFAP and vimentin was found in the same structures. Light chain neurofilaments were detected in some pinealocytes and their processes. Tryptase-immunopositive mast cells were detected in all studied samples of the pineal gland (usually in the stroma). Conclusions. 1) According to morphological characteristcs, GFAP-immunopositive astrocytes in the human pineal gland differ from typical stellate astrocytes in other parts of the brain, which makes it possible to allocate pineal GFAP-positive astrocytes into a separate subgroup of astrocytes; 2) astrocytes of the human pineal gland, unlike pineal astrocytes of other mammals, do not co-express GFAP and vimentin; 3) mast cells are an obligatory component of the human pineal gland - mandatory in the stroma and optional in the parenchyma; 4) human pinealocytes express neuron-specific neurofilament protein, which testifies in favor of their neuron-like nature; 5) localization of neuron-like endocrine cells and a significant number of mast cells in the human epiphysis determines this endocrine organ as an important component of a integral neuroimmune-endocrine system of the organism.

Keywords

pineal gland / astrocytes / glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) / vimentin / neurofilaments / mast cells / human

References

[1] Григорьев И. П., Алексеева О. С., Кирик О. В. и др. Распределение низкомолекулярных белков нейрофиламентов в поясной коре головного мозга крысы // Морфология. 2018. Т. 154, вып. 5. С. 7-12.

[2] Фёдорова Е. А., Григорьев И. П., Сырцова М. А. и др. Выявление морфологических признаков дегрануляции тучных клеток сосудистого сплетения головного мозга человека с использованием различных методов окраски и иммуногистохимии // Морфология. 2018. Т. 153, вып. 2. С. 70-75.

[3] Фёдорова Е. А., Суфиева Д. А., Григорьев И. П., Коржевский Д. Э. Тучные клетки эпифиза человека // Успехи геронтол. 2018. Т. 31, № 4. С. 484-489.doi: 10.1134/S2079057019010053

[4] Хавинсон В. Х., Кветной И. М., Попучиев В. В. и др. Влияние пептидов пинеальной железы на нейроэндокринные взаимосвязи после пинеалэктомии // Арх. патол. 2001. Т. 63, № 3. С. 18-21.

[5] Borregón A., Boya J., Calvo J. L., López-Muñoz F. Immu no-histochemical study of the pineal glial cells in the postnatal development of the rat pineal gland // J. Pineal Res. 1993. Vol. 14, Iss. 2. P. 78-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-079X.1993.tb00489.x

[6] Erlich S. S., Apuzzo M. L. The pineal gland: anatomy, physiology, and clinical significance // J. Neurosurg. 1985. Vol. 63, Iss. 3. P. 321-341. doi: 10.3171/jns.1985.63.3.0321

[7] Jouvet A., Fevre-Montange M., Besancon R. et al. Structural and ultrastructural characteristics of human pineal gland, and pineal parenchymal tumors // Acta Neuropathol. 1994. Vol. 88, Iss. 4. P. 334-348. doi: 10.1007/BF00310377

[8] Lopez-Munoz F., Calvo J. L., Boya J., Carboneil A. L. Coex pression of vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein in glial cells of the adult rat pineal gland // J. Pineal Res. 1992. Vol. 12, Iss. 4. P. 145-148. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-079x.1992.tb00041.x

[9] Macchi M. M., Bruce J. N. Human pineal physiology and functional significance of melatonin // Front Neuroendocrinol. 2004. Vol, 25. Iss. 3-4. P. 177-195. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2004.08.001

[10] Møller M., Baeres F. M. The anatomy and innervation of the mammalian pineal gland // Cell Tissue Res. 2002. Vol. 309, Iss. 1. P. 139-150. doi: 10.1007/s00441-002-0580-5

[11] Oberheim N. A., Takano T., Han X. et al. Uniquely hominid features of adult human astrocytes // J. Neurosci. 2009. Vol. 29, Iss. 10. P. 3276-3287. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4707-08.2009

[12] Redecker P., Cetin Y., Korf H.-W. Differential immunocytochemical localization of calretinin in the pineal gland of three mammalian species // J. Neurocytol. 1996. Vol. 25, Iss. 1. P. 9-18. doi: 10.1007/bf02284782

[13] Reiter R. J., Tan D. X., Kim S. J., Cruz M. H. C. Delivery of pineal melatonin to the brain and SCN: role of canaliculi, cerebrospinal fluid, tanycytes and Virchow-Robin perivascular spaces // Brain Struct. Funct. 2014. Vol. 219, Iss. 6. P. 1873-1887. doi: 10.1007/s00429-014-0719-7

[14] Slominski R. M., Reiter R. J., Schlabritz-Loutsevitch N. et al. Mela tonin membrane receptors in peripheral tissues: distribution and functions // Mol. Cell Endocrinol. 2012. Vol. 351, Iss. 2. P. 152-166. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2012.01.004

[15] Zang X., Nilaver G., Stein B. M. et al. Immunocytochemistry of pineal astrocytes: species differences and functional implications // J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. 1985. Vol. 44, Iss. 5. P. 486-495. doi: 10.1097/00005072-198509000-00004

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Grigorev I.P., Fedorova E.A., Sufieva D.A., Korzhevskii D.E.