Scanning electron and light microscopic studies on the development of the oral mucosa of camel (Camelus dromedarius)
Dougbag A el-S
Zeitschrift für Mikroskopisch-Anatomische Forschung 102(3): 411-422
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-3107 PMID: 3195184 Document Number: 311988
In early fetal life (71 days in utero, 2 cm CVRL), the oral epithelium was formed from 2 cell layers of cuboidal-shaped cells resting on a lamina propria composed of reticular fibers, mesenchymal cells and fibroblasts. In the fetuses of 84 days in utero (7 cm CVRL), the superficial cells were low cuboidal and carried on their free surfaces few scattered microvillus-like projections which increased with the advance of age. At the fetal age of 98 days (12 cm CVRL), solid epithelial cords were extended into the lamina propria forming the forerunners for the labial and buccal salivary glands. At the latter age, cheek mucosa showed dome-shaped projections forming the forerunners for the coniform papillae. These papillae were differentiated into simple and compound papillae. The epithelium showed a cornified layer which was one cell thick in the fetuses of 12 cm CVRL and increased to 3 cell thick at the fetal ages of 298-355 days (85-106 cm CVRL). The labial glands opened at regular intervals allover the lip surface and two or more ducts opened at the sides of each coniform papilla in the cheek mucosa. Postnatally, the epithelium became very thick and its superficial cells carried only microplicae on their free surfaces.