EFFECTS OF ADRENALINE AND NORADRENALINE DISCHARGING AGENTS ON THE DIAZOSULFANILIC ACID AZURE A STAINING OF RAT ADRENAL MEDULLA

In normal glutaraldehyde-fixed rat adrenal medulla, islets of cells will stain brown with potassium iodate while the entire medulla will stain brown with potassium bichromate. The diazosulfanilic acid, pH 1 azure A sequence (DAS-AzA) stain revealed dark blue cytoplasmic staining of noradrenaline islet cells with the surrounding cytoplasmic areas a pale blue-green to almost colorless and the nuclei a moderate green. Two noradrenaline discharging agents, nicotine and reserpine, weakened or prevented all three staining reactions in these islets. Insulin injections, known to mobilize adrenaline from adrenaline-producing cells in the adrenal medulla did not impair the iodate or DAS-AzA reaction. These findings on glutaraldehyde-fixed adrenal medulla confirm the selectivity of the DAS-AzA reaction for noradrenaline cells in the adrenal medulla.