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Histology of the Adrenal Cortex

Cells in the adrenal cortex are arranged into three concentric zones. At both low and

high magnification, one can readily differentiate these zones based on the pattern

 produced by cords of cells. However, the boundaries between zones are indistinct.

The outermost zone is the zona glomerulosa. Cells within this zone tend to be columnar 

in shape and are arranged in irregular cords. In some species, cells adjacent to the

capsule are are arranged in uite regular !arcades!. In the image below, the zona

glomerulosa from the adrenal of a cat and rabbit is shown "H#$ stain%.

The zona fasiculata is the middle and largest of the three zones in the corte&. Cells in

the fasiculata are polyhedral and usually have a foamy appearance due to abundant lipiddroplets. They also are arranged in distinctively straight cords that radiate toward the

medulla. The image below is of the fasiculata in a rabbit adrenal "H#$ stain%.

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As seen the ne&t image, cortical capillaries are usually prominent within the fasiculata.

 'otice the shape and foamy appearance of the cells in this micrograph.

The innermost zone of the corte& is the zona reticularis. Cells within this zone are

arranged in cords that project in many different directions and anastomose with one

another. In the image below, also of a rabbit adrenal, the reticularis occupies roughly

()*rds of the center, with a bit of fasiculata on the left and the medulla on the right

"H#$%.

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http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/adrenal/histo_cortex.h

tml

http://www.histology.leeds.ac.uk/glandular/adrenal.php

http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/adrenalglandhistology.html