Morphological identification of the lipid-storing cells in golden hamster parathyroid glands after vitamin A treatment.

We investigated hamster parathyroid glands of different ages using electron microscopy and found a new cell type in young, adult and senile hamsters. Theses special cells were located in interstitial tissues and invariably contained several lipid droplets within the cytoplasm. The cells showed an elongated spindle with some cell processes. The cells contained small Golgi complexes and moderate cisternae of the granular endoplasmic reticulum. The morphological characteristics of these cells were mostly the same as those of lipid-storing cells in other organs (Yamada and Hirosawa, 1976). After vitamin A administration, the lipid droplets in these cells markedly increased in number and also in volume density. The other morphological features of these cells resembled those of the control animals. We called these cells parathyroid lipid-storing cells. They may incorporate and store vitamin A within the lipid droplets. They can be classified as one of the cellular components in hamster parathyroid gland.