Publication: Cytological aspects of the human adrenal cortex development in the course of intra-uterine life
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Date
1993
Authors
Bocian-Sobkowska, J. ; Malendowicz, L.K. ; Wozniak, T.
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Publisher
Murcia : F. Hernández
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Stereological studies were performed on 20
pairs of adrenal glands of human foetuses. The volume
of particular adrenocortical zones, average cell volume
and number of parenchymal cells were calculated.
In 50 to 320 mm crown-rump length (C.-R.L.)
foetuses (9-38 weeks of the intra-uterine life) an
exponential increase in adrenal gland weight was found.
If compared with the earlier period, the rate of increase
was evidently higher beginning from the 20th week and
depended mainly upon enlargement of the foetal zone,
with less marked changes in the glomerulosa-fasciculata
zone.
The zona glomerulosa (ZG) and the outer zona
fasciculata (ZF) began to delineate by the 20th week of
gestation. Zona reticularis was not observed in our
material. From the beginning of development,
fasciculata cell volume was markedly higher than that of
ZG cells and lower than foetal zona (ZX) cells.
Until the 20th week of intra-uterine life the volume of
glomerulosa-fasciculata zone (G-FZ) increased at a slow
rate, while the rate of increase in volume of ZX was
higher. After 20 weeks the rate of increase in volume of
al1 adrenocortical zones was markedly higher (the same
as that of the stroma). The volume of stroma in ZX
markedly exceeded that in the remaining parts of the
cortex.
The average cell volume of ZG and ZF remained constant during the foetal period, while the average cell
volume of ZX cells increased gradually from the 9th to
the 20th foetal week and afterwards remained
unchanged.
Of interest is the fact that the percentage of ZX cells
in the gland remained rather constant during the whole
period of observation (about 3540% for ZX and 60-65%
for ZG and ZF).
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