Ontogeny Of Histomorphology And Neuropeptides In Human Fetus Salivary Glands

Objectives (D To observe the histomorphologic development of human fetus salivary(parotid, submandibular and sublingual) glands. ?To study the distribution and developmental regularities of neuropeptides in fetus salivary glands. ?To approach the properties of neuro-endocrine cells in the ductal epithelium of fetus salivary glands. Methods (17) HE staining. 0 Immunohistochemical ABC method. Resultc (17) In the differentiation period, the main histologic characteristics of fetus salivary glands were branched twigs and ductal structures. At 14th and 15th week, cells arranged densely in branched twigs and terminal buds. At 16 to 18 weeks of gestation, repeatedly branched ducts and a small amount of acini were found in salivary glands. In the growing period, the salivary glands mainly showed interlobular ducts, striated ducts and acini. In fetus salivary glands of the mature period, the structures of ducts and acini tended to maturation. The ducts mainly included interlobular and striated ducts. It wasn?t easy to identify intercalated ducts. The vertical lines at the basal portion of striated ductal epithelial cells were not evident. The zymogen granules in the apical cytoplasm of serous acini were not evident. Mucous and mixed acini appeared respectively from 16th and 20th week in sublingual and submandibular glands. ?On the corresponding site of serial sections, the epithelial cells of ducts in fetus parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands respectively showed SP-, VIP-, NPY-, SS-, CGA- immunoreactivity. At the same embryonic stage, the ductal cells of salivary glands showed different immunoreactive (IR) intensity by different neuropeptides. The JR intensity of different neuropeptides in ductal cells showed different variation tendencies with age. The immunocomplexes evenly distributed in the epithelial cytoplasm of ducts. Nuclei showed negative. ?There also found SP-, VIP-, -3- CGA-IR-nerve fibers in fetus parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands. These nerve fibers were presented as varicose and linear profiles, which mainly traveled around acini, ducts and blood vessels, but their distributive density was different. Conclusions (DThe histologic form of salivary gland appeared obvious changing in developing fetus. It may found branched ducts and terminal buds, interlobular, striated and intercalated ducts and acini appeared successively in developing fetus salivary gland, but it wasn抰 easy to identify intercalated ducts. ㏒P, VIP, NPY, SS and CGA coexisted in the epithelial cells of ducts. @) Fetus salivary glands were innervated by SP-, VIP-and CGA-IR-nerve fibers. (4) The ductal epithelium of fetus salivary glands may possess the properties of neuro-endocrine cells.