THE HISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF ZINC IN THE DORSOLATERAL PROSTATE OF THE RAT

Abstract

High concentrations of Zinc in the lateral portions of the dorsolateral prostate of the rat have been associated histochemically with a luminal border organelle characteristic of the epithelium. This border organelle is osmiophilic and argentophilic and contains a high concentration of basophilic material as well as zinc. The organelle is distinct from the Golgi bodies in the epithelial cells. Epithelium from the dorsal portions of the gland lacks this border organelle. High concentrations of zinc and basophilia are also associated with the sub-epithelial stroma in the lateral parts of the prostate and the nucleoli of both parts of the gland. In the dorsal part of the prostate, zinc was detected only in the nucleoli. The possible significance of these results is discussed.