Changes in the Ultrastructure of Adrenocortical Cells Induced by Cholinergic Agonists

The role of cholinergic neurotransmitters in the changes in ultrastructure of adrenocortical cells remains to a great extent unexplored. We studied the influence of acetylcholine (ACh) and pilocarpine, agonists of muscarinic ACh (mACh) receptors, on the ultrastructure of adrenocortical secretory cells derived from the rat adrenal cortex. Both agonists were found to stimulate fragmentation of the mitochondria and lipid droplets and reconstruction of the peroxisomal compartment. At the same time, assembling of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER) membranes was observed after ACh application, while pilocarpine action was not always prominent. Thus, we conclude that activation of mACh receptors by its agonists influence the ultrastructure of the adrenocortical cells, and the respective ACh-induced effects are more intensive.