抄録
The objective of this reserch is to investigate the age-related changes of human taste buds in circumvallate papillae by a histomorphometric study. The materials were obtained from 241 Japanese cadavers, ranging in age from 0 to 97 years old. The taste bud numbers in the papilla wall, and the taste bud cell numbers per taste bud section were calculated. The transcriptional activities of taste bud cells and lingual epithelial cells were investigated by the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) technique. The taste bud density and the taste bud cell density in the older age groups was lower than that of the younger age groups. The AgNOR number of lingual epithelial cells decreased significantly in the older age groups, but the taste bud cells did not. Unlike the maintenance of transcrptional activity of taste bud cells, the reduction in the taste bud density and the taste bud cell density may influence taste systems with aging.
