In the
anterior pituitary
The anterior pituitary (also called the adenohypophysis or pars anterior) is a major Organ (anatomy), organ of the endocrine system. The anterior pituitary is the glandular, Anatomical terms of location#Usage in human anatomy, anterior lobe that t ...
, the term "acidophil" is used to describe two different types of cells which stain well with acidic dyes.
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somatotroph
Somatropic cells (somatotropes) (from the Greek ''sōmat'' meaning "body" and ''tropikós'' meaning "of or pertaining to a turn or change") are cells in the anterior pituitary that produce growth hormone.
Structure
Somatotropic cells constitute a ...
s, which secrete
growth hormone
Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in ...
(a peptide hormone)
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lactotroph
A prolactin cell (also known as a lactotropic cell, epsilon acidophil, lactotrope, lactotroph, mammatroph, mammotroph) is a cell in the anterior pituitary which produces prolactin (a peptide hormone) in response to hormonal signals including dop ...
s, which secrete
prolactin
Prolactin (PRL), also known as lactotropin and mammotropin, is a protein best known for its role in enabling mammals to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans. Prolactin is secr ...
(a peptide hormone)
When using standard staining techniques, they cannot be distinguished from each other (though they can be distinguished from
basophils
Basophils are a type of white blood cell. Basophils are the least common type of granulocyte, representing about 0.5% to 1% of circulating white blood cells. They are the largest type of granulocyte. They are responsible for inflammatory reactio ...
and
chromophobes),
and are therefore identified simply as "acidophils".
See also
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Eosinophilic
Eosinophilic (Greek suffix '' -phil'', meaning ''eosin-loving'') describes the staining of tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye commonly used in histological staining.
Eosin is an acidic dye for stainin ...
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Acidophile (histology)
Acidophile (or acidophil, or, as an adjectival form, acidophilic) is a term used by histologists to describe a particular staining pattern of cells and tissues when using haematoxylin and eosin stains. Specifically, the name refers to structures ...
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Basophilic
Basophilic is a technical term used by pathologists. It describes the appearance of cells, tissues and cellular structures as seen through the microscope after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye ...
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Chromophobe cell
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Melanotroph
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Chromophil
A chromophil is a cell which is easily stainable by absorbing chromium salts used in histology to increase the visual contrast of samples for microscopy.
Function
Chromophil cells are mostly hormone-producing cells containing so-called chromaffin ...
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Basophil cell
An anterior pituitary basophil is a type of cell in the anterior pituitary which manufactures hormones.
It is called a basophil because it is basophilic (readily takes up bases), and typically stains a relatively deep blue or purple.
These bas ...
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Oxyphil cell
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Oxyphil cell (parathyroid)
Parathyroid oxyphil cells, also named oncocytes, are one out of the two types of cells found in the parathyroid gland, the other being parathyroid chief cell. Oxyphil cells are only found in a select few number of species and humans are one of the ...
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Pituitary gland
The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the human brain, brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus contr ...
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Neuroendocrine cell
Neuroendocrine cells are cells that receive neuronal input (through neurotransmitters released by nerve cells or neurosecretory cells) and, as a consequence of this input, release messenger molecules (hormones) into the blood. In this way they bri ...
References
{{Authority control
Histology