Relationships Between Glandular and Lymphoid Tissues in Human Tongue and Pharyngeal Walls in Postnatal Ontogenesis

Abstract

The article aims for description of glandular/lymphoid interactions within digestive tract over the postnatal ontogenesis which is of special importance for clinical immunology. We have examined lingual salivary glands obtained from 299 autopsies, using macroscopic and histological techniques. Their age ranged from newborns to senile individuals; both males and females were included. The biological material was sampled at the local pathology departments at the Moscow Bureau for Forensic and Medical Expertise, according to approval by Russian federal law (No. 323, art. 47, 4180-1, 355н). The cases with pathological changes of digestive system revealed upon autopsies were excluded from evaluation. The transverse tissue sections were stained with H&E and picro fuchsin by van Gieson technique.The minor salivary lingual and pharyngeal glands, being located in the depth of tongue and pharyngeal walls, perform an important endocrine function, i.e they participate in oral immunity responses. A lot of publications concerns regenerative changes of oral mucosa caused by secretory IgA which plays a main role in regulation of local immunity. The article describes important age-dependent changes of both lingual and pharyngeal minor salivary glands. Typical scarcity of the glands in childhood may be caused by the uniform nutrition at this age, whereas decreased secretory IgA production, is generally leading to development of common inflammatory events in the oropharyngeal area. With increasing age, the glandular apertures become wider and more numerous, thus leading to increased local immunity in oral cavity and oropharynx. Sufficient involutional changes are observed in old and senile age cohorts, accompanied by diminished secretory IgA production, and, respectively, by decreased indexes of local and humoral immunity. These results are entirely reflecting topographical interrelations between the glands and lymphoid cells, and appropriate data are quite important for clinical immunology.