Summary
Mast cells in the tongue and lamina propria of the duodenal mucosa, representing two cell types with different morphological, histochemical and functional properties have been studied under the electron microscope. Both cell types were found to contain similar moderately electron dense and homogeneous granules surrounded by a tight membrane constituting the basic ultrastructural characteristics of mast cells. The mucosal mast cells, however, contained fewer granules per cell and the individual granules often exhibited considerable variation in size. In addition the mucosal mast cells, unlike those of the tongue, peritoneum and skin, had a smooth plasma membrane lacking microvilli and possessed irregularly shaped or lobulated nuclei. In the tongue mast cells, administration of Compound 48/80 caused the formation of vacuoles around the granules, expulsion of granules from the cells and disintegration of the granular matrix, but no changes that could be attributed to 48/80 could be found in the mucosal mast cells.
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Supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Project 14X-2235).
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Enerbäck, L., Lundin, P.M. Ultrastructure of mucosal mast cells in normal and compound 48/80-treated rats. Cell Tissue Res. 150, 95–105 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220383
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220383