[The rat's vomeronasal organ. Histochemical study with lectins]

A histochemistry study by means of lectins of vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ was performed in 5 Wistar rats. Vomeronasal organ is localized at the antero-inferior level of the septum and present two kinds of epithelium, an olfactory one and other respiratory, on the medial and on the lateral part, respectively. Olfactory epithelium shows a great reactivity to WGA lectin, moderate to PNA and weck to Con-A and SBA. In the respiratory epithelium the reactivity is moderate to DBA, PNa, SBA and WGA lectins for goblet cells, instead the periciliary sheat of mucus is reactive to all lectins but DBA and LTA.