[Ultramicrostructural observation on epithelial cell disdifferentiation in rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4NQO].
OBJECTIVE
To clarify epithelial cell ultramicrostructure changes in oral carcinogenesis.


METHODS
The epithelial cell ultramicrostructures in tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) were observed by transmission electron microscope.


RESULTS
With the progress of oral carcinogenesis, regular changes of epithelial cell were showed: decrease in tonofibril, keratohyaline granules, desmosome; and increase in mitochondria. The basement membrane was broken in some severe dysplasia (sDP) and was broken through by parts of cell processes in in situ carcinoma (ISC).


CONCLUSIONS
Oral carcinogenesis is a multistep process. Epithelial cell aberrant differentiation is showed by a decrease in the synthetic products of epithelium cell.
Liu
X K
XK
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200011, China.
He
R G
RG
Chen
W T
WT
Zhang
Z Y
ZY
Zhou
Z T
ZT
Zhou
X J
XJ