Bornstein S R, Brown J W, Carballeira A, Goodman J, Scherbaum W A, Fishman L M
Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Leipzig, Federal Republic of Germany.
Horm Metab Res. 1996 Apr;28(4):177-82. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-979155.
Adrenal cortical mitochondria display an extensive capacity to adapt morphologically to the functional state of the adrenal cortical cell. In the present study, we have used transmission electron microscopy to analyze cortical tissues from 3 normal human adrenal glands (zona fasciculata and zona glomerulosa), and from 8 steroid-secreting adrenal cortical adenomas (3 cortisol-producing, 4 aldosterone-producing, and 1 progesterone-producing tumor), correlating both clinical and biochemical features with cellular ultrastructure. The morphology of mitochondria was related to the enzyme activity and steroid-biosynthetic capacity of each tumor. Cells from aldosterone-producing adenomas demonstrated a large number of elongated tubular mitochondria with characteristic bridging of inner membranes, producing a lamellar-type pattern. Cells from cortisol-producing adenomas showed large round mitochondria with vesicular or tubulovesicular inner membranes surrounded by a characteristic dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum. A highly unusual progesterone-producing adenoma, in which a deficiency of 21 alpha-hydroxylase activity was demonstrated, showed a peculiar type of enlarged lamellar mitochondria with bright inner matrix and a reduced number of inner membranes. Therefore, the ultrastructural characteristics of adrenal cortical mitochondria appear to be potential markers for the differentiation of steroid-producing adenomas. These studies point to the possibility of a broader use of electron microscopy in the study of adrenal tumors.
肾上腺皮质线粒体在形态上具有广泛的能力来适应肾上腺皮质细胞的功能状态。在本研究中，我们使用透射电子显微镜分析了来自3个正常人类肾上腺（束状带和球状带）以及8个分泌类固醇的肾上腺皮质腺瘤（3个产生皮质醇的、4个产生醛固酮的和1个产生孕酮的肿瘤）的皮质组织，将临床和生化特征与细胞超微结构相关联。线粒体的形态与每个肿瘤的酶活性和类固醇生物合成能力相关。产生醛固酮的腺瘤细胞显示出大量细长的管状线粒体，内膜有特征性的桥接，形成层状模式。产生皮质醇的腺瘤细胞显示出大的圆形线粒体，其内膜呈泡状或管状泡状，周围有特征性扩张的滑面内质网。一个高度不寻常的产生孕酮的腺瘤，其中显示出21α-羟化酶活性缺乏，表现出一种特殊类型的扩大的层状线粒体，内部基质明亮，内膜数量减少。因此，肾上腺皮质线粒体的超微结构特征似乎是类固醇产生腺瘤分化的潜在标志物。这些研究指出了在肾上腺肿瘤研究中更广泛使用电子显微镜的可能性。
