Differentiation of epiglottal epithelia during prenatal and postnatal human development

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Author: Gordana Jurić-Lekić
• Author: Vedran Radujković
• Author: Valentina Kancijan
• Author: Floriana Bulić-Jakuš
• Author: Vedran Lokošek
• Author: Ana Katušić
• Author: Maja Vlahović
• Author: Ljiljana Šerman
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Basic Medical Sciences

Abstract (english)

Differentiation of epiglottal epithelia during human development was for the first time investigated by the light microscopy and documented in celoidine collection of human embryos from the Archive of the Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia. At 6 weeks epiglottal swelling was found to be covered by a simple squamous epithelium consisting of a single layer of cells. At 8 weeks epithelium changed to a two-layered cuboidal epithelium which at the end of the 8th week transformed to multilayered columnar epithelium without cilia and goblet cells. In the one-day-old newborn, the majority of epiglottis was found to be covered by the mature ciliated columnar pseudostratified epithelium with goblet cells while only a minor part of the oral surface next to the tongue by the stratified squamous epithelium. This unexpected finding is in contrast to the domination of the stratified squamous epithelium found at the age of 13 years and in 35-years-old adult. Reversal of proportion covered by different types of epithelia between birth and puberty/adulthood is probably connected to the establishment of the air-flow which could be stimulating for differentiation of stratified squamous epithelium.

Abstract (croatian)

Diferencijacija epitela epiglotisa tijekom razvoja u čovjeka po prvi puta je istražena svjetlosnom mikroskopijom i dokumentirana u celoidinskoj zbirci humanih zametaka iz Arhiva Zavoda za histologiju i embriologiju Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska. U šestom tjednu intrauterinog razvoja pronašlo se da je osnova epiglotisa prekrivena jednoslojnim pločastim epitelom (epithelium squamosum simplex). Tijekom osmog tjedna epitel se promijenio te su u njemu prisutna dva sloja kubičnih stanica. Krajem osmog tjedna epitel prelazi u cilindrični višeslojni ili višeredni epitel bez trepetljika i vrčastih stanica. Veći dio epiglotisa u novorođenčeta starog jedan dan prekriven je zrelim višerednim cilindričnim epitelom s trepetljikama i vrčastim stanicama (epithelium pseudostratificatum columnare), dok je samo manji dio oralne strane uz jezik prekriven višeslojnim pločastim epitelom (epithelium squamosum stratificatum) što predstavlja posve novi, neočekivani nalaz. Naime, u dobi od trinaest i trideset pet godina gotovo cijeli epiglotis prekriva višeslojni pločasti epitel. Ova promjena omjera dvaju epitela između rođenja i puberteta/odrasle dobi je vjerojatno povezana sa uspostavom disanja i protoka zraka koji po svoj prilici potiče diferencijaciju višeslojnog pločastog epitela.

• Keywords (english): Epiglottis - cytology - embryology - growth & development; Epithelial Cells - cytology; Epithelium - embryology - growth & development; Adolescent; Adult; Cell Differentiation; Cilia; Goblet Cells - cytology; Humans; Infant, Newborn
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Collegium Antropologicum
• Numbering: vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1115-1120
• p-ISSN: 0350-6134
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:324256
• Publication: 2008-12
• Document URL: https://hrcak.srce.hr/34286
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-03-28 11:11:54