Effects of Reserpine and Chlorpromazine upon Enterochromaffin Cell of the Rat

Abstract

Effects of intra-peritoneal administration were studied on enterochromaffin cells in longitudinal sections of duodenum. Sections were stained with the methenamine silver technique of Gomori, and the enterochromaffin cells were counted and weighted according to the degree of granulation. With reserpine, the weighted granulation index markedly decreased at 8 hours, reached a minimum at 16 hours, recovered and exceeded the control value at 24 hours. The fall in weighted granulation index paralleled the fall in intestinal 5-hydroxytryptamine which others have demonstrated by chemical analysis. The cytological recovery, however, was far more rapid than the recovery of 5-hydroxytryptamine content. With chlorpromazine, no regular effects on enterochromaffin cells were seen. The method of using weighted granulation indices is a satisfactory means of evaluating drug effects on secretory cells.