Acidophil cell

{{Short description|Cell type found in the pituitary gland}}

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| Name = Acidophil cell

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| Image = Histology of pars distalis of the anterior pituitary with chromophobes, basophils, and acidophils, annotated.jpg

| Caption = Microanatomy of the pars distalis of the anterior pituitary, showing chromophobes, basophils, and acidophils

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In the anterior pituitary, the term "acidophil" is used to describe two different types of cells which stain well with acidic dyes.

• somatotrophs, which secrete growth hormone (a peptide hormone)
• lactotrophs, which secrete prolactin (a peptide hormone)

When using standard staining techniques, they cannot be distinguished from each other (though they can be distinguished from basophils and chromophobes),{{BUHistology|14002loa|inline=1}} and are therefore identified simply as "acidophils".