Ultrastructure of free nerve endings in respiratory and squamous epithelium on the rat nasal septum |
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Authors: | Bejamin J. Spit Franklin Bretschneider Evert G. J. Hendriksen C. Frieke Kuper |
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Affiliation: | (1) TNO Toxicology and Nutrition Institute, Zeist, The Netherlands;(2) Laboratory of Comparative Physiology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;(3) Laboratory for Histophysiology and Experimental Pathology of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;(4) Department of Biological Toxicology, TNO Toxicology and Nutrition Institute, Utrechtseweg 48, NL-3704 HE Zeist, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | The distribution of nerve fibres in the mucosa of the nasal septum of the rat was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy on transverse and tangential ultrathin sections. Near the basement membrane of respiratory and squamous epithelium, a rather dense network of unmyelinated nerve fibres occurs. Some fibres in the respiratory epithelium ascend between the epithelial cells to reach up to the tight junctions. These fibres appeared in transverse sections to end as hooks or boutons, sometimes with branches. These shapes resemble the free nerve endings that are considered to act as nociceptors. The small intraepithelial fibres, with diameters of about 0.5–1 m, contain both dense granules and clear vesicles comparable to synaptic vesicles. Substance P was found in dense granules in basal fibres; vasoactive intestinal peptide was absent throughout the epithelium. Acetylcholinesterase activity was observed closely associated with the basal fibres; the apical fibres showed little if any activity. Membrane specializations pointing to an efferent function as well as structures usually associated with mechanoreceptive functions were lacking in both respiratory and squamous epithelium.Part of this work was presented at the Annual Conference of the Netherlands Society for Electron Microscopy, 28–29 Nov 1985, Wageningen, The Netherlands. See Spit BJ and Hendriksen EGJ (1986) Ultramicroscopy 19:102–103 |
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Keywords: | Intraepithelial axons Free nerve endings Nasal mucosa Ultrastructure Enzyme histochemistry Immunocytochemistry Rat (Wistar) |
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