The dog pancreatic X cell: A light and electron microscopic study

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Abstract
A light and electron microscopic study was conducted on the X cell of the normal dog pancreas. These cells were identified by their acidophilic cytoplasmic granules which do not stain with iron or phosphotungstic acid hematoxylin and also show a distinctive multilobate nucleus. They were found to be neither argyrophilic nor argentaffinic. Ultrastructurally, when fixed in osmium alone, the X cell cytoplasm contained numerous rounded, smooth membrane bound secretory granules with content of low electron density. However, after double fixation in glutaraldehyde and osmium the granules appeared irregularly round, ovoid or kidney shaped with content which may vary from electron lucent to homogeneously electron dense with gradations between. The functional significance of the X cell is unknown. However, its structure showed it to be a distinct, active secretory element, independent of other pancreatic exocrine and endocrine cell types.