AN EXPERIMENTAL CYST MODEL ESTABLISHED FROM HUMAN UNKERATINIZED VAGINAL MUCOSA

Because of the scarcity of sizeable specimens of normal oral mucosa an d the availability of human vaginal mucosa, which resembles the lining mucosa of the mouth, we used the latter to establish a human cyst mod el, Fragments of vaginal mucosa, removed during corrective procedures, were sutured around 2 mm glass balls and implanted into the flanks of nude mice. Thirty-seven specimens mere implanted and 31 harvested aft er 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks, At 6 weeks the wall of the implanted cyst con sisted of recognizable unkeratinized vaginal mucosa but had not healed completely at the sutured edges, From 9 weeks the cyst cavities were healed and the lumens lined by unkeratinized stratified squamous vagin al epithelium, The enclosing connective tissue had retained the charac teristics of the lamina propria of the vaginal mucosa and could be dis tinguished from mouse tissue.