title: [Comparative study on the histomorphology of the JE of human and several laboratory animals].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the histomorphology of the junctional epithelium (JE) of human and several animals, and determine the suitable laboratory animals, position and methods for JE study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Paraffin-embedded bucco-lingual sections of mandible molars with gingival tissue from 6 men, 3 pigs, 4 dogs, 6 rabbits and 6 rats were stained by HE and analyzed by image analysis system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The width of JE of human, pig, dog, rabbit and rat was (1.019+/-0.133) mm, (0.862+/-0.073) mm, (1.111+/-0.104) mm, (0.404+/-0.010) mm and (0.285+/-0.032) mm, respectively, and the ratio of the width of JE to the gingival sulcular epithelium (GSE) and JE was about 60%. The histology and morphology of JE of pig and dog were similar to that of human, the epithelium was long, thin, regular and connected with GSE. The demarcation between JE and GSE was judged by the differences in the cytology and staining. The JE of rabbit and rat was irregular and quite different from that of human. It was located on the surface of GSE, turned wide towards its bottom and the top of it was separated from GSE which was remarkably keratinized.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most suitable animals for JE study are pig and dog because of their similarity to human on the morphology and development of JE. The mastery of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of JE of human and several laboratory animals and determination of the suitable objects would provide useful data and methods for further study of the biological and molecular characters of JE cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, School of Stomatology, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai 200011, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: De-yi
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D004285:Dogs; D004846:Epithelial Attachment / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D013552:Swine