Quantitative cytological analysis of functional changes in adrenomedullary chromaffin cells in normal, sham-operated, and pinealectomized rats in relation to time-of-day: II. Nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, nuclear size, and pars granulosa of nucleolus.

Adrenaline(A)- and noradrenaline(N)-cells in the adrenal medulla of nonoperated (NO), sham-operated (SO), and pinealectomized (PX) male rats (n = 125) were investigated by quantitative electron and light microscopy. Animals were killed at eight time points during a standardized 24-h, light-dark (12:12) cycle 14 days after surgery. Nuclear-cytoplasmic (N/P) ratios, diameters of nuclei, and the frequency of nucleoli showing a large amount of pars granulosa (granulated nucleoli), were the primary characteristics studied. Major findings include the following: 1) The frequency of low N/P ratios over a 24-h period tended to be higher in PX animals than in controls in A-cells, as shown in large cell profiles (P less than 0.02); but such a tendency was not apparent in N-cells. Daily mean nuclear diameters were similar among the three experimental groups. 2) The 24-h changing pattern of phase relations in the frequency of low N/P ratio and nuclear size differed between A- and N-cells in NO and SO but not in PX animals. 3) The frequency of granulated nucleoli in A-cells was much higher in PX animals than in NO and SO animals throughout a 24-h period (P less than 0.018), especially from the late light to early dark phase (P less than 0.003), and higher in A-cells than in N-cells generally (P less than 0.0009). Pinealectomy thus caused increases in the cytoplasm and in the pars granulosa of the nucleolus in many A-cells; changes in N-cells were less apparent. This suggest a disturbed balance and coordination between A- and N-cell systems of adrenal medulla following pinealectomy.