[Histological study on aging changes in the human tongue]

Dryness of the mouth, taste disturbance or misswallowing may appear due to physiological changes of tongue especially in old aged person. The purpose of this study is to investigate histological changes related to aging in the human tongue, qualitatively and quantitatively. The samples were collected from 100 autopsy-cases without any pathological changes consisting of 50 males and 50 females aged between 5 and 82. Five specimens (I-V) were obtained from each tongue by frontal section. Specimen I (anterior part of tongue), III (central part), V (posterior part) were studied. Each specimen with thickness of 4 microns were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin and Alucian-Blue. Tongue mucosa, glands such as Blandin-Nuhn gland, von Ebner gland and those glands distributed in the root of tongue, and M. longitudinalis superior were observed histologically. The study was done quantitatively by I-BAS one picture analyzer manufactured by Zeiss Co. The results of this study are as following: 1) The epithelium of lingual mucosa The thickness of epithelium decreased with aging, rather prominent on dorsal part than the lateral. 2) lingual glands Acinar atrophy increased with aging, especially quickly in females. The atrophy of the acinus started from 40 years old in Blandin-nuhn gland and 30 in von Ebner gland. However, tongue root glandular atrophy was milder in comparison with the other two glands. 3) Lingual muscles Decrease in muscle fiber diameter with aging is also observed.