Physiological dependency between the hypothalamus and the thymus of Wistar rats. IV. Organotypic culture of the thymus in the presence of hypophyseal hormones, vasopressin, and oxytocin
Ficek, W.
Gegenbaurs Morphologisches Jahrbuch 129(4): 445-458
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-5840 PMID: 6642186 Document Number: 207029
The experiments were carried out with the cultured thymic glands of the 7 d old rats. 3H-thymidine incorporation rate, histological alterations and the lipid level within the entire gland were studied. In cultures supplemented with 200 ng of vasopressin per ml of medium, the amount of the incorporated 3H-thymidine was lower than in the control cultures, whereas in cultures to which higher quantities of the same hormone (10 micrograms/ml) were added a reverse effect was observed and the difference was statistically significant as compared with the control cultures (p less than 0.001). Addition of oxytocin (0.01 units/ml of the medium) to the culture brought about a slight increase in the incorporation of 3H-thymidine. Histological and histochemical studies showed that the involution of the thymic tissue was least pronounced in the cultures supplemented with vasopressin in amount of 10 micrograms per ml of the medium.