HISTOLOGY
OF THE
TONGUE
Learning objectives
Todiscuss different histological
parts of tongue
To understand histology of tongue
To discuss clinical conditions related
tongue
TONGUE
Thetongue is a skeletal muscular
organ covered with mucous
membrane.
The muscles are of two types, intrinsic
and extrinsic.
The intrinsic muscles are confined to the
tongue and consist of bundles of fibers
embedded in connective tissue.
The extrinsic muscles of the tongue
extend from the tongue to the mandible,
the styloid process of the skull and the soft
palate.
Intrinsic muscle fibers are arranged
in longitudinal, transverse and
vertical directions.
The right and left halves of the tongue
are separated by a septum composed of
connective tissue.
TONGUE
It
has ventral (lower) and dorsal
(upper) surfaces.
The mucous membrane consists of
stratified squamous epithelium,
non-keratinized on ventral surface
and partially keratinized on dorsal
surface,
resting on a dense collagenous
lamina propria.
Thetongue is richly supplied with
blood vessels and nerves.
At higher magnification, notice that the lightly keratinized
stratified squamous epithelium (E) on the dorsal surface of the
tongue has numerous projections.
VENTRAL SURFACE
Themucous membrane on ventral
surface is smooth and is reflected
from tongue to the floor of the
mouth > frenulum of tongue
DORSAL SURFACE
It
is rough and irregular and is
divided into anterior (2/3) and
posterior (1/3) parts by V- shaped
groove “sulcus terminalis”
POSTERIOR PART
It appears irregularly nodular because the
root of the tongue lodges aggregations of
lymphoid tissue containing lymphoid
follicles known as lingual tonsil
(Same histology as palatine tonsil)
NOTE: The lingual, palatine, pharyngeal and
tubal tonsils (adenoids) surround the
pharynx to form a ring of lymphoid tissue at
the junction of nasal and oral passages
known as: "Waldeyer’s ring“
It has smooth stratified squamous
epithelium
MUCOUS GLANDS OF THE ROOT:
These are numerous.
small purely mucous glands
which lie in posterior 1/3rd and their ducts
open into the crypts of the lingual tonsil
ANTERIOR PART
The mucous membrane is rough
due to the presence of
numerous small projections
called “lingual papillae”
These are formed of projections
of mucous membrane .
These are classified in three
types.
TONSILS TONGUE - dorsum
CIRCUMVALLATE
PAPILLA
Trench
FUNGIFORM PAPILLA
FILIFORM PAPILLAE
Taste bud
FOLLIATE PAPILLAE on the lateral
tongue are vestigial in man, prominent in
rabbit
Surface of the tongue on the region close to its V-shaped boundary,
between the anterior and posterior portions. Note the lymphoid
nodules (lingual tonsil), glands, and papillae
FILLIFORM PAPILLAE
These are Most numerous lingual
papillae
2-3 mm in length
SHAPE: thread like /conical in
shape, with the tip of the
projection pointed posteriorly
Distributedover the ant 2/3
surface of tongue
They contain no taste buds
Theyare covered by stratified
squamous keratinized
epithelium
Filiform Papillae
epithelluim
FUNGIFORM PAPILLAE
They Scattered as red dots on
tongue surface in between the filiform
papillae
0.5-1.00 mm in diameter
Most abundant on tip of the tongue
SHAPE: Mushroom like [ narrow stalk
and dilated upper part]
Taste buds are located on dorsal
surface
They are covered by stratified
squamous non-keratinized epithelium
FUNGIFORM PAPILLAE
CIRCUMVALLATE PAPILLAE
These are only 6-14 in number
1-2 mm in length
SHAPE: large and round
They are arranged just anterior
and roughly parallel to v-shaped
sulcus terminalis
Each is surrounded by a circular sulcus/
cleft/trench
They contain purely serous glands of von
Ebner
Discharge their serous secretions into the
cleft
Secrete watery fluid which dissolves food
constituents
They contain numerous taste buds
They are covered by stratified squamous
epithelium
CIRCUMVALLATE PAPILLAE
Von Ebner's) salivary glands (G) discharge their
serous secretions into the cleft (D).
FOLLIATE PAPILLAE
They are rudimentary in humans
Well developed in other mammals
They are located on the sides of
the tongue and consists of several
parallel ridges separated by
intervening clefts
Taste buds are numerous on the
sides of the ridges
TASTE BUDS
Theseare receptors for the taste
sensation
These are small neurosensory
bodies in the epithelium of
fungiform and circumvallate papillae
Theseare about 3000 on human
tongue
They appear as pale ovoid bodies
Theyare 50-80 µm in height and 30-
50 µm in width
It
consist of 50-75 cells with
apices converge on a small
depression in the surface of
epithelium called “taste pore”
The cells of the taste buds are
spindle shaped and oriented at
right angle to the surface.
The nuclei are oval in shape and lie in
the basal region of the taste bud.
At least three cell types are present in
the taste buds> basal cells,
supporting (sustentaculer) cells, and
special receptor (neuroepitheleal)
cells.
Nerve fibers terminate in close
contact with the receptor cells.
TASTE BUDS
clinicals
Leukoplakia
a condition in which one or more white patches
or spots (lesions) forms inside the mouth.
Leukoplakia is different from other causes of
white patches such as thrush or lichen planus
because it can eventually develop into oral
cancer.
Squamous cell carcinoma
The most common type of tongue cancer is
called squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous
cells are thin, flat cells
TASKS
Write
down histological features of
tongue.
Define different types of papillae
Name clinical conditions related to
tongue
