Morphology of the Non-Sensory Tissue Components in Rat Aging Vomeronasal Organ

Abstract

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemosensory organ that detects environmental pheromones. The morphology of the 'non-sensory' epithelium (NSE) of the VNO and its lamina propria, as well as how it relates to ageing has received little attention. Histological, histochemical, morphometric and ultrastructural techniques were used to study the morphological structure of the rat NSE in five adult (3 months old) and five aged (2-2.5 years old) male albino rats. In adult rats, the NSE contained dark and light columnar cells with predominance of the latter. The surface of the epithelial cells was covered with microvilli and/or cilia. The lamina propria contained serous vomeronasal glands (VNGs), smooth muscles with numerous variable-sized mitochondria, vessels including lymphatic capillaries and nerve bundles. The following changes were detected in aged rats. The NSE exhibited an increase in number of dark columnar cells. Some cells revealed a prominent cell coat, dense aggregation of filaments in the luminal cytoplasm and appearance of multinucleated cells. Their surface revealed malformed configuration. Large mitochondria (2 μm), formed by fusion, were frequently observed in the smooth muscle cells of the lamina propria. Lipid droplets were frequently detected both in the VNGs acini and in the lymphatic endothelium. Ageing affected both the cells of the tissues and the extracellular matrix.

Morphology of Non-Sensory Epithelium during Post-natal Development of the Rabbit Vomeronasal Organ

“…The frequent detection of neutrophils invading rabbit NSE is likely, Getchell and Kulkarni () found infiltration of the NSE among mammals that possessed a VNO surrounded by a bony capsule. Infiltrating cells into the VNO–NSE have also been observed in rats (Breipohl et al., ; Eltony and Elgayar, ), slow loris (Loo and Kanaqasunteram, ), dogs (Adams and Wiekamp, ), virus antibody‐free rats (Getchell and Kulkarni, ) and tree shrews and Getchell and Kulkarni () suggested that neutrophils provide immune surveillance for the presence of pathogens in the material drawn from the nasal cavity into the VNO and can act as a first line of defence in preventing the invasion of the VNO parenchyma. The transient focal ischaemia, during VN pump action, followed by reperfusion and release of neutrophils chemoattractants was the mechanism suggested being responsible for neutrophils intra‐epithelial infiltration (Getchell and Kulkarni, ).…”

Structure of the secretory cells of male and female adult guinea pigs Harderian gland

“…However, in guinea pig we distinguished four types of cells with different characteristic morphological features. Detection of dark and light cells have been reported frequently in many tissues as developing hamster HG (Lopez et al, 1992) and adult rat (Eltony and Elgayar, 2011) and developing rabbit (Elgayar et al, 2014) vomeronasal organ. Presence of more than one cell type in many HGs has often been interpreted as being one cell type in different activity levels (Payne, 1994;Lopez et al, 1996).…”

Following the p63/Keratin5 basal cells in the sensory and non‐sensory epithelia of the vomeronasal organ

“…Only a few studies have focused on the NSE of the VNO. This epithelium has been described both as stratified and as pseudostratified, depending on the animal species analyzed (Eltony & Elgayar, 2011; Garrosa et al, 1998).…”