Summary
The epithelium of normal human hard palate was subjected to stereologic analysis. Ten biopsies were selected from a total of twenty specimens collected from 9 to 16 year old females, and processed for light- and electron microscopy. At two levels of magnification, electron micrographs were sampled from three strata (basale, spinosum, granulosum) in two locations (epithelial ridges and portions over connective tissue papillae). Stereologic point counting procedures were employed to analyse a total 1560 electron micrographs. In general, the thickness of the palate epithelium was 0.12 mm (over papillae) and 0.31 mm (in ridges), the epithelium is distinctly stratified, and homogeneously ortho-keratinized. From basal to granular layers, the composition of strata revealed decreasing densities of nuclei, mitochondria, membrane-bound organelles and aggregates of free ribosomes. Keratohyalin bodies and membrane coating granules increased, and cytoplasmic filaments with a constant diameter of about 85 Å increased from 14 to 30% of cytoplasmic unit volume. The cytoplasmic ground substance occupied a stable 50% of the epithelial cytoplasm in all strata. The composition of basal layers in ridges differed from that over connective tissue papillae. The data are discussed in relation to the observations that (1) an increasing gradient of filament density is not the most characteristic feature of ortho-keratinizing oral epithelium and (2) differences in the degree of differentiation in cells of the stratum basale coincided with the comparable frequency distribution pattern of dividing cells.
Zusammenfassung
Das Epithel des normalen menschlichen harten Gaumens wurde einer stereologischen Analyse unterworfen. Insgesamt wurden 20 Biopsien aus 9–16 Jahre alten, gesunden Mädchen gewonnen und für licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Studien verarbeitet. Aus 10, zufällig ausgewählten Biopsien wurden Stichproben elektronenmikroskopischer Bilder aus 3 Straten (basale, spinosum, granulosum) und in 2 verschiedenen Bereichen (in epithelialen Leisten und im Epithel über Bindegewebspapillen) entnommen. Ein Total von 1560 elektronenmikroskopischen Bildern wurde mit Hilfe stereologischer Punktzählverfahren analysiert. Die Dicke des Gaumenepithels schwankte zwischen durchschnittlich 0,12 (über Papillen) und 0,31 mm (in Leistenbereich). Das Epithel ist deutlich geschichtet und gleichmäßig orthokeratinisiert. Vom Stratum basale gegen das Stratum granulosum fiel die volumetrische Dichte für Kerne und Mitochondrien, für membrangebundene, synthetisierende Organellen und für Aggregate freier Ribosomen ab, während Keratohyalinkörper und membran-ver-steifende Granula dichtemäßig zunahmen. Der zytoplasmatische Gehalt an Tonofilamenten, die einen konstanten Durchmesser von 85 Å aufwiesen, stieg von 14 auf 30% an, während die strukturlose, zytoplasmatische Grundsubstanz in allen Straten etwa 50% des Zytoplasmavolumens einnahm. Die strukturelle Zusammensetzung des Stratum basale war je nach Lokalisation (Leisten- und Papillenbereich) verschieden. Die Ergebnisse werden insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Beobachtungen diskutiert, daß 1. ein Ansteigen des Gradienten der Tonofilamentdichte nicht als das besonders charakteristische Kennzeichen für orthokeratinisierendes orales Epithel gelten kann, und 2. die Unterschiede im Differentiationsgrad zwischen Basalzellen verschiedener Lokalisation mit der vergleichbaren Häufigkeitsverteilung von sich teilenden Zellen gut übereinstimmte.
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Dr. Meyer is member of the Department of Cariology and Periodontology, Dental Institute, University of Zurich. His work was performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Dr. med. dent, thesis at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich.
The authors are thankful to Miss K. Rossinsky for excellent technical assistance, to Mrs. M. Graf-de Beer for competent data computation and to Mrs. S. Münzel-Pedrazzoli for help in morphometric analysis. This study was in part supported by Grants Nos. 51 and 106 of the Hartmann Müller Foundation and by a Grant from the Foundation of Scientific Research at the University of Zürich.
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Meyer, M., Schroeder, H.E. A quantitative electron microscopic analysis of the keratinizing epithelium of normal human hard palate. Cell Tissue Res. 158, 177–203 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219960
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219960