Effects of vagotomy on the ultrastructure of the parathyroid gland of the rabbit

Abstract
Ultrastructural changes of the parathyroid glands of vagotomized rabbits were examined. Many chief cells at 6, 12, 18 and 24 h after vagotomy are rich in free ribosomes compared to control rabbits. The main changes in the parathyroid glands of rabbits at 12, 18 and 24 h after vagotomy as compared with the control animals are a proliferation of the Golgi complexes, an increased number of secretory granules in the peripheral cytoplasm, and a frequent occurrence of enlarged intercellular spaces containing finely particulate substance. Large secretory granules, heterogeneously dense bodies, multivesicular bodies and lipid droplets apparently decrease in number in many chief cells at 12, 18 and 24 h after the operation. These alterations suggest that synthesis and release of parathyroid hormone are stimulated in many chief cells of the vagotomized rabbits. In addition, correlations of the occurrence of large secretory granules and various bodies are discussed.