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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: JOE-09-0127v1 203/2/241    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Hui, X.-G. Articles by Sasano, H. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hui, X.-G. Articles by Sasano, H.

¹ Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
² Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia 30912, USA
³ Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
⁴ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization, Sendai Medical Center, Sendai 983-8520, Japan

(Correspondence should be addressed to H Sasano; Email: hsasano{at}patholo2.med.tohoku.ac.jp)

Age-related morphologic development of human adrenal zona reticularis (ZR) has not been well examined. Therefore, in this study, 44 human young adrenal autopsy specimens retrieved from large archival files (n=252) were examined for immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses. Results demonstrated that ZR became discernible around 4 years of age, and both thickness and ratio per total cortex of ZR increased in an age-dependent fashion thereafter, although there was no significant increment in total thickness of developing adrenal cortex. We further evaluated immunoreactivity of both KI67 and BCL2 in order to clarify the equilibrium between cell proliferation and apoptosis in the homeostasis of developing human adrenals. Results demonstrated that proliferative adrenocortical cells were predominantly detected in the zona glomerulosa and partly in outer zona fasciculata (ZF) before 4 years of age and in ZR after 4 years of age, but the number of these cells markedly decreased around 20 years of age. The number of BCL2-positive cells increased in ZR and decreased in ZF during development. Adrenal androgen synthesizing type 5 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD17B5 or AKR1C3 as listed in the Hugo Database) was almost confined to ZR of human adrenals throughout development. HSD17B5 immunoreactivity in ZR became discernible and increased from around 9 years of age. Results of our present study support the theory of age-dependent adrenocortical cell migration and also indicated that ZR development is not only associated with adrenarche, but may play important roles in an initiation of puberty.