Scanning electron microscopic and histochemical studies of foliate papillae in the rabbit, rat and mouse

The foliate papillae of the rabbit, rat and mouse were studied by scanning electron microscopy and histochemistry. The papillae consisted of folds and grooves located on the posterolateral margin of the tongue in front of the circumvallate papillae. The numbers of folds and taste buds varied among the three animals species. Scanning electron microscopy showed that in longitudinal sections the taste buds were oval in shape and their pores were surrounded by microvilli. The reaction product of alkaline phosphatase could only be demonstrated in the superficial epithelium of the rabbit as well as in the mouse foliate papillae, but it also diffused into the taste buds in the rat. The intensity and distribution of the reactions of adenosine triphosphatase, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase were identical to those reported by other investigators in spite of differences in animal species and histochemical techniques employed.