Demonstration of stellate cells of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland using a new silver impregnation technique.

The pars intermedia of the pituitary gland in the rat and other species contains, in addition to secretory cells, stellate cells first characterized by using electron microscopy. The distribution and relationships of these cells is difficult to assess at the ultrastructural level. We have developed an ammoniacal silver nitrate method for stellate cells of the pars intermedia. Staining is carried out in 15 micron sections of buffered formalin fixed, paraffin embedded pituitaries. This method shows that in the rat pars intermedia, stellate cells showing numerous cytoplasmic projections are abundant in, and evenly distributed throughout, pars intermedia lobules.