[1] Oxyphil cells are only found in a select few number of species and humans are one of them.

[10] 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[2] With nuclear medicine scans, they selectively take up the Technetium-sestamibi complex radiotracer to allow delineation of glandular anatomy.

[11] 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.