Gingival mucosae of man and the adult Cebus spella monkey were fixed for 3 hr in modified Karnovsky fixative containing 2.5% glutaraldehyde,2% formaldehyde in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH =7.4). The specimens were postfi xed in 1% osmium tetroxide in O.1M sodium phosphate buffer at 4a6deg;C for 2hr, dehydrated in a graded alcohol series and embedded in Epon 812.
Thick sections of 1-3μm and ultrathin sections of 40-80 nm in thickness were cut with glass knives on an LKB ultramicrotome. The thick sections were stained with toluidine blue solution, and the grids were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined under a Philips EM-301 electron microscope.
Our observations permitted us to conclude that: 1) both gingival mucosae, of man and the Cebus spells monkey, have lamellar nerve endings;
2) these corpuscles are localized in the papillar space of the epithelium and do not contact closely with the basement membrane;
3) the nerve endings are composed of an afferent fiber which subdivides several times and forms irregular flattened or discoidal expansions;
4) the laminae of the lamellar cells are very thin near the terminal axon and are larger and irregular in shape at the peripheral portion of the corpuscle;
5) the terminal axon shows abundant mitochondria, mylin figures, clear vesicles, and multivesicular bodies;
6) between the axoplasm membrane and adjacent cytoplasmic lamina and between the lamellae, small desmosome type junctions are noted;
7) the cytoplasmic material of the lamellae cells is characterized by the presence of numerous microfilaments, microtubules, mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and caveolae.
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