Parathyroid oxyphil cells, also named

oncocyte An oncocyte is an epithelial cell characterized by an excessive number of mitochondria, resulting in an abundant acidophilic, granular cytoplasm. Oncocytes can be benign or malignant. Other names Also known as: *'' Hürthle cell'' (thyroid gl ...

s,Cells MeSH Descriptor Data 2025
/ref> are one out of the two types of cells found in the parathyroid gland, the other being

parathyroid chief cell Parathyroid chief cells (also called parathyroid principal cells or simply parathyroid cells) are the primary cell type of the parathyroid gland. They produce and secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH) in response to low calcium levels. PTH plays an i ...

. Oxyphil cells are only found in a select few number of species and humans are one of them. These cells can be found in clusters in the center of the section and at the periphery. Oxyphil cells appear at the onset of puberty, but have no known function. It is perceived that oxyphil cells may be derived from chief cells at puberty, as they are not present at birth like chief cells. Oxyphil cells increase in number with age. Although the terms oncocyte, oxyphil cell, and

Hürthle cell A Hürthle cell is a transformed (metaplasia) thyroid follicular cell with "enlarged mitochondria and enlarged round nuclei with prominent nucleoli", resulting in eosinophilia in the cytoplasm. Oncocytes in the thyroid are often called Hürthl ...

are used interchangeably, "Hürthle cell" is used only to indicate cells of thyroid follicular origin.Cannon, J. (2011). The Significance of Hurthle Cells in Thyroid Disease. The Oncologist. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2010-0253

Structure

Oxyphil cells may be binucleated and proteins found within their cytoplasms are basic, resulting in acidophilic cytoplasms. Cytochemically, oxyphil cells and C cells are fairly similar. Oxyphil cells are much larger in size (12–20 μm) compared with chief cells (6–8 μm) and also stain lighter than chief cells. Oxyphil cells have a cytoplasm filled with many, large mitochondria. Oxyphil cells have abundant cytoplasmic glycogen and ribosomes that are interspersed between the mitochondria. The endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatuses, and secretory granules are poorly developed in oxyphil cells of normal parathyroid glands

Function

With

nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactivity, radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, ''radiology done inside out'', ...

scans, they selectively take up the

Technetium Technetium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Tc and atomic number 43. It is the lightest element whose isotopes are all radioactive. Technetium and promethium are the only radioactive elements whose neighbours in the sense ...

- sestamibi complex radiotracer to allow delineation of glandular anatomy. Oxyphil cells have been shown to express parathyroid-relevant genes found in the chief cells and have the potential to produce additional autocrine/paracrine factors, such as parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and

calcitriol Calcitriol is a hormone and the active form of vitamin D, normally made in the kidney. It is also known as 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. It binds to and activates the vitamin D receptor in the nucleus of the cell, which then increases the exp ...

. Oxyphil cells have also been shown to have higher

oxidative Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...

and

hydrolytic Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolysis ...

enzyme activity Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzyme, enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibitor, enzyme inhibition. Enzyme units The quantity or concentration of an enzyme can be expressed in Mo ...

than chief cells due to having more

mitochondria A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is us ...

. Oxyphil cells have significantly more

calcium-sensing receptor The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a Class C G-protein coupled receptor which senses extracellular levels of calcium ions. It is primarily expressed in the parathyroid gland, the renal tubules of the kidney, pancreatic islets and the br ...

s (CaSRs) than chief cells. More work needs to be done to fully understand the functions of these cells and their secretions.

References

Endocrine cells Human cells Parathyroid {{Cell-biology-stub

Structure

Function

See also

References