Ultrastructure of the rat median eminence after superfusion.

Isolated medio-basal hypothalami of adult rats were continuously superfused in a chamber with controllable inputs and outputs, for periods from 30 to 240 min. The median eminence was prepared for transmission electron microscopy under carefully controlled conditions by immersion fixation with osmium tetroxide. The ultrastructure of superfused median eminence was compared with that of directly fixed, non-superfused median eminence. Even after 4h of superfusion, the median eminence displays remarkably well preserved histological and cytological patterns; cytomembranes, cell organelles, intercellular relationships, and extracellular spaces were remarkably similar in superfused and non-superfused tissues. As a consequence of osmium tetroxide fixation, microtubules were not observable. The ultrastructural information obtained from unstimulated rat median eminence superfused in vitro provides a basis for future morphofunctional correlations in the study of neurosecretion.