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Updated: Oct 17, 2026

An Effective Manual Deboning Method To Prepare Intact Mouse Nasal Tissue With Preserved Anatomical Organization
Published on: August 10, 2013
[Electron microscopy studies of innervation of nasal mucosa glands in humans]
S Knipping1, H J Holzhausen, P A Mir-Salim
1Klinik für Hals-, Nasen-, Ohrenkrankheiten, Gesichts- und Halschirurgie, Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle/Wittenberg.
Background:
Seromucous glands are one of the main components of human nasal mucosa. The innervation pattern is important to understand the control of the different physiological glandular functions. In addition to light-microscopical findings electronmicroscopic investigations were performed to get more detailed information on the innervation of nasal glands.
Patients And Methods:
Tissue samples of 16 human inferior turbinates were taken during nasal surgery and preserved in Unicryl or 3.5% phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde. After fixation ultrathin sections were cut. Electron microscopical structures were photodocumented by using a transmission-electron microscope (EM 902 A Zeiss).
Results:
Few axons were found in the periglandular tissue. No myo- or glandular-neural tight junctions could be identified. Unmyelinated nerve fibers showed typical components such as neurofilaments, neurotubules and mitochondria in their cytoplasm. An additional control of the glandular secretion by the vascular tone of the fenestrated capillary vessels will be discussed.
Conclusions:
Based on these ultramorphological findings further immunoelectron microscopical investigations will follow to demonstrate the various neurotransmitters and their distribution in periglandular axons.
