[Cytochemical study of intestinal endocrine cells in rabbit fetuses during in vitro induced degeneration and differentiation (author's transl)].

Ontogenic differentiation of intestinal serotonin cells of 22 days old rabbit fetuses were studied in vitro. After 3 days of organotypic cultivation in solid medium, a great part of epithelial cells became necrotic and were eliminated into the lumen while a first flattened, then cuboïdal, then prismatic new growed epithelium in which FIF indicated some serotonin cells was present. Comparison of pictures obtained on the same slide by different methods was used in order to estimate correspondances between amine storage, argentaffin, argyrophilic and reductive properties. A new phase in serotonin cell differentiation was readily distinguished since young cells successively yeilded FIF, later argyrophilia, later argentaffinity. These datas, at variance with that occurs in vivo where FIF and argyrophilia appeared simultaneously, give a new criteria for differential mechanism studies, disprove the theory of an amine induced argyrophilia and enhance the hypothesis of a hyaloplasmic amine storage in very young cells.