title: Collagen fibrils in the odontoblast layer in the teeth of the rat and the house shrew, Suncus murinus, by scanning electron microscopy using a maceration method.
abstract: It is not well known whether there are gaps in the tight junctions between odontoblasts and whether the fluid flows from the pulp to the predentin through these gaps. The collagen fibrils in the odontoblast layer were investigated using a maceration method in order to show the existence of the gaps between tight junctions of the odontoblasts. The mandibles containing teeth of the rat and the house shrew were digested by NaOH maceration and revealed the architecture of the collagen fibrils under scanning electron microscopy. The collagen fibrils went from the pulp, through the odontoblast layer, and were woven into the collagen network of the predentin in all teeth used in this study. Thick bundles of collagen were seen in the odontoblast layer at the pulp horn of the rat molars. Because there are many collagen fibrils in the odontoblast layer, it is considered that the tight junction of the odontoblast is of the discontinuous type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Anatomy, Kagoshima University Dental School, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uemura
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003739:Dental Cementum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005110:Extracellular Space; D016591:Histocytological Preparation Techniques; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008334:Mandible; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008963:Molar; D009804:Odontoblasts / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010513:Periodontal Ligament / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012788:Shrews; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide; D014070:Tooth / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D012972:Sodium Hydroxide; D003094:Collagen