| Abstract: | Variations of the pancreatic parenchyma, the gastric mucosa and the intestinal mucosa were studied in adult male Wistar rats on day 8 and 15 after hypophysectomy. All results were compared with those obtained in pair-fed control rats. Hypophysectomy affected small intestine as well as gastric mucosa. Hypotrophy was observed on day 8 as most of the morphological parameters reached the maximal decrease. By contrast, hypoplasy occurred on day 15, when the labeling index (LI) decreased significantly. In the intestine, however, a decrease of the LI was observed only for the upper proliferative cells of the crypts. In the gastric mucosa, the LI was reduced only in the proliferative zone containing progenitor cells (isthmic region). Consequently, the cell differentiation is not similarly affected on all levels of the digestive tract. |
