K. Ojima, Comparative angioarchitectural formation seen in microvascular cast specimens of the fungiform papillae in the weaning period and adult rat tongue, ANN ANATOMY, 182(3), 2000, pp. 275-280
The purpose of this study was an attempt to identify the functional and com
parative angioarchitectural differences between the sexes, and the developm
ental processes seen in microvascular cast specimens (MVCS) of the formatio
n of the fungiform papillae (FuP) geometrically and regularly distributed o
n the anterodorsal surface in the weaning period and in the adult rat tongu
e.
The basic microvascular structure seen in the MVCS of FuP of both the weani
ng and adult rat tongue consisted of several ascending (As.b) and descendin
g branches (Ds. b) and a loop structure (L.st), and the cylindrical network
structure of the L. st made up of the open-hole formation of the C form of
the upper and lower microvascular structures.
In the lateral view, the MVCS of FuP has a bamboo basket-like shape, and by
means of the three-dimensional expansion of the surface area, effectively
plays an assistant functional role in receiving the taste of foods and liqu
ids.
There were obviously no sex and morphological differences in the developmen
tal process as to shape, but there was some difference between the weaning
period and the adult rat in size in the MVCS of FuP.