Fine structural alterations in the aging rat pineal gland

The pineal glands of 1 mo to 28 mo old male and female rats were examined by electron microscopy. With increasing age the following observations were made: (1) the capsule thickness increases; (2) there is an increase in collagen infiltration; (3) increased amounts of granular deposits are seen between cells; (4) there is a greater variability in the number of light pinealocytes; (5) pinealocytes with nuclear invaginations and pinealocytes with nuclear inclusions increase in number; (6) more cytoplasmic dense bodies are seen in pinealocytes and gliocytes; (7) the maximum diameter of pinealocyte lipid droplets tends to increase; (8) no definite change is observed in granular endoplasmic reticulum; (9) occasional cells are found to contain reticulated mitochondria, and a few cell processes have an appearance similar to neuroaxonal dystrophy. Besides illustrating age-rated changes, the present study proves the existence of pinealocyte nuclear inclusions, suggests the possibility of pineal concretions in the rat, and morphometrically or semi-morphometrically analyzes several structural features not previously quantified.