Functionally impaired, hypertrophic ECL cells accumulate vacuoles and lipofuscin bodies. An ultrastructural study of ECL cells isolated from hypergastrinemic rats

Cell and Tissue Research
C M ZhaoD Chen

Abstract

ECL cells in the oxyntic mucosa of stomach control gastric acid secretion by mobilizing histamine in response to gastrin. They respond to gastrin also with hypertrophy and hyperplasia. ECL cells exhibit functional impairment upon long-term gastrin stimulation. The impairment is manifested in a gradual decline of the activity of the histamine-forming enzyme per individual ECL cell and in a failure of gastrin to mobilize histamine. The mechanism behind this impairment is unknown. In the present study, rats were treated with the proton pump inhibitor pantoprazole for 45 days to induce sustained hypergastrinemia. The ECL cells were isolated from normogastrinemic and hypergastrinemic rats and size-separated from other mucosal cells by the elutriation technique. The total ECL cell number was twofold higher in hypergastrinemic rats than in normogastrinemic rats, and most of the cells appeared in elutriation fractions where large cells predominate. The ECL cells of the different fractions were analyzed by quantitative electron microscopy. Normal-sized ECL cells from hypergastrinemic rats displayed a reduced number of secretory vesicles (probably because of degranulation) compared with normal-sized ECL cells from normogastrinemic rats. ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 22, 2012·Medical Molecular Morphology·Reidar Alexander VigenChun-Mei Zhao
Oct 13, 2006·Current Opinion in Gastroenterology·M L Schubert
Nov 16, 2002·Journal of Applied Physiology·Ian M P JosephDenise Kirschner

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