Morphological differences in innervation between mucous glands and serous glands: a quantitative histological study using the sublingual glands of elderly humans.

CONCLUSION

In the sublingual gland, the serous lobule usually carried a higher density of NSE-positive nerve elements than the mucous lobule, whereas the mucous acinus in the mucous lobule was larger than the serous acinus in the serous lobule.

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate quantitative differences in nerve elements between the mucous and serous lobules of sublingual glands.

METHODS

This study investigated using specimens from 14 donated cadavers (mean age = 78 years). Since immunohistochemistry for neuron-specific enolase (NSE) stains all nerves in addition to other mesenchymal cells possibly of nerve origin, the present quantitative evaluation was based on NSE-positive areas per visual field under a ×20 objective lens (0.6 × 0.45 mm when printed).

RESULTS

In mucous lobules, the areas occupied by NSE-positive nerve elements ranged from 5798-16,541 μm(2) (mean ± SD = 9280 ± 2584 μm(2)). In contrast, the corresponding areas in serous lobules ranged from 7853-23,540 μm(2) (mean ± SD = 13,520 ± 4351 μm(2)). The difference in NSE-positive areas was statistically significant (p = 0.0022). However, the mucous acinus in the mucous lobule was 2-times larger than the serous acinus in the serous lobule (2474 ± 1477 μm(2) vs 1119 ± 632 μm(2)).