牙髓毛细淋巴管的超微结构观察

目的：观察人正常牙髓毛细淋巴管的超微结构特点。方法：牙髓包埋块不经半薄定位,直接制作超薄切片,经电镜观察。结果：内皮细胞间有３种基本连接方式,重叠连接（５１％）,端端连接（３６．１％）,插入连续（１０．６％）,内皮细胞中可见到Ｗｅｉｂｅｌ－Ｐａｌａｄｅ小体、脂褐素和大量大小不等的囊泡,结论：人正常牙髓毛细淋巴管的超微结构有其自身特点。     

舌癌癌周毛细淋巴管的超微结构观察

目的 观察舌癌癌周毛细淋巴管的超微结构。方法 通过航向电镜对１０例舌癌癌周毛细淋巴管进行观察研究。结果 癌周毛细淋巴管不同程度地扩张，并出现大量内皮细胞连接的开放。结论 癌周毛细淋巴管的扩张及内皮连接的开放为肿瘤的转移提供了便利通道。     

人正常或炎症牙髓组织中炎症信号细胞间黏附分子-1表达的研究

目的：研究人正常、慢性牙髓炎、急性牙髓炎牙髓组织中细胞间黏附分子-1免疫定位，探讨其在牙髓炎症机制中的作用和意义。方法：采用免疫组化（ABC）法对成人正常牙髓、慢性牙髓炎、急性牙髓炎牙髓中的细胞间黏附分子-1进行免疫定位。结果：细胞间黏附分子-1在3组牙髓组织中均有表达。其分布为：正常牙髓组织中少许血管内皮细胞呈较弱的阳性反应；慢性牙髓炎牙髓组织中较多的血管内皮有较强的阳性染色；急性牙髓炎牙髓组织中很多血管内皮染色呈强阳性。其中急性牙髓炎组染色强度与慢性牙髓炎组、正常组之间细胞间黏附分子-1的表达有显著差异；慢性牙髓炎组与正常组之间细胞间黏附分子-1的表达也有显著差异。结论：①人牙髓组织中血管内皮细胞膜表达细胞间黏附分子-1。②炎症组与正常组之间细胞间黏附分子-1的表达有显著性差异。③细胞间黏附分子-1可能参与介导牙髓炎症过程，在炎症机制中发挥重要作用。     

白细胞介素1受体拮抗剂在人牙髓组织中的表达

目的：了解正常人牙髓组织及炎性牙髓组织中白细胞介素１受体拮抗剂（ＩＬ－１ｒａ）的表达,探讨它在牙髓组织正常防御和内毒素性牙髓炎中的作用机制。方法：用ＡＢＣ免疫组织化学法检测ＩＬ－１ｒａ在牙髓组织中的表达。结果：在正常牙髓组织中仅有少量血管内皮细胞、巨噬细胞表达ＩＬ－１ｒａ,在炎症牙髓组织中ＩＬ－１ｒａ染色呈阳性,主要表达细胞为中性粒细胞、浆细胞、淋巴细胞和血管内皮细胞。结论：内源性ＩＬ－１ｒａ在牙髓炎症的发生发展中可能起着重要作用。     

正常及炎症牙髓组织中IL—6的表达

目的：通过检测ＩＬ－６在人牙髓组织中的表达，探讨ＩＬ－６与正常及炎症牙髓组织的关系，方法：采用免疫组化（ＡＢＣ）法，检测正常组８个牙及炎症牙髓组１０个牙中ＩＬ－６的表达。结果：正常人牙髓组织ＩＬ－６染色为阴性，炎症牙髓组织中ＩＬ－６染色 呈阳性表达细胞为单核－巨噬细胞，少量血管内皮细胞和成纤维细胞。结论：ＩＬ－６与牙髓组织的炎症反应密切相关，是重要的炎症介质之一。     

正常及炎症牙髓组织中IL-6的表达

目的：通过检测ＩＬ－６在人牙髓组织中的表达，探讨ＩＬ－６与正常及炎症牙髓组织的关系。方法：采用免疫组化（ＡＢＣ）法，检测正常组８个牙及炎症牙髓组１０个牙中ＩＬ－６的表达。结果：正常人牙髓组织ＩＬ－６染色为阴性，炎症牙髓组织中ＩＬ－６染色均呈阳性，主要表达细胞为单核－巨噬细胞，少量血管内皮细胞和成纤维细胞。结论：ＩＬ－６与牙髓组织的炎症反应密切相关，是重要的炎症介质之一。     

牙髓,尖周炎症组织渗出液中白细胞介素—6含量的检测

目的：通过检测炎症牙髓、尖周组织渗出液中白细胞介素－６（ＩＬ－６）的含量，探讨ＩＬ－６与牙髓、尖周炎症的关系。方法：采用ＥＬＩＳＡ免疫夹心法进行ＩＬ－６含量检测。结果：正常牙髓组织渗出液中未检测到ＩＬ－６，炎症牙髓、尖周组织渗出液中均有不同含量ＩＬ－６检出，急性炎症组高于慢性炎症组，急性尖周炎组高于急性牙髓炎组。结论：ＩＬ－６与牙髓、尖周炎症密切相关，主要参与急性期炎症反应，在牙髓、尖周炎症病变过程中起着重要作用。     

人牙髓淋巴管相关标志物的表达和超微结构分析

目的：探讨健康牙髓中是否存在淋巴管。方法：选择因正畸拔除的牙30颗,取出牙髓,以健康牙龈组织做阳性对照,利用淋巴管特异性标志物D2-40和LYVE-1以及血管标志物CD31和CD34进行免疫组织化学染色,Western印迹法检测D2-40的表达,透射电镜进行超微结构分析。结果：健康牙髓组织中,管腔结构的内皮细胞均显示CD31和(或)CD34阳性,D2-40除成牙本质细胞弱阳性表达外,管腔结构均阴性表达。Western印迹法检测显示,用胶原酶去除牙髓成牙本质细胞后,D2-40所对应的分子量40 kDa的条带消失。牙髓管腔结构的内皮细胞电镜检测显示出血管而不是淋巴管的特征,即由单层内皮细胞组成,外有周细胞围绕,基底膜完整。结论：在人正常牙髓组织中可能不存在淋巴管,淋巴系统是否参与牙髓炎症的引流过程尚有待进一步研究。     

舌癌毛细淋巴管的酶组织化学研究进展

舌癌发病率高且易向淋巴结转移，研究舌部淋巴管分布有助于了解舌癌的转移和预后，毛细淋巴管的形态学研究比较困难，毛细淋巴管内皮细胞在形态学上与毛细血管相似，常规染色在光镜水平难以区分，而淋巴管内皮细胞的核苷酸酶(5′-Nase)活性明显高于血管，在血管内皮细胞则具有高度活性的碱性磷酸酶(Alpase)，应用核苷酸酶-碱性磷酸酶双重染色法，可有效地显示舌部的淋巴管和毛细淋巴管的分布和走向。在肿瘤和正常组织交界区域的丝状乳头内含有丰富的毛细淋巴管，并与黏膜固有层内的毛细淋巴管汇合，结缔组织乳头内毛细淋巴管和黏膜固有层的毛细淋巴管，核苷酸酶活性有减低倾向。在肿瘤的中央部，结缔组织乳头及乳头内毛细淋巴管的分布，随上皮基底层形态的不规则变化而变化，且核苷酸酶活性显著下降，毛细淋巴管口径增大，舌部肿瘤组织周围的口径增大的新生淋巴管网，可能与舌癌易发生早期转移有关。     

炎症牙髓中转化生长因子—β分布特征的实验研究

目的：探讨转化生长因子－β（ＴＧＦ－β）在牙髓、牙本质损伤修复中的可能作用。方法：采用免疫组化手段检测狗实验性牙髓炎病变过程中牙髓组织内ＴＧＦ－β的定位和分布变化。结果：正常牙髓中ＴＧＦ－β染色阴性，炎症牙髓则呈阳性反应，其染色强度随炎症的发展而改变。成牙本质细胞、血管内皮细胞、巨噬细胞是其主要的阳性细胞。结论：在牙髓炎症的发展过程中存在ＴＧＦ－β的变化，ＴＧＦ－β参与了牙髓损伤修复的过程。     

Light microscopy and electron microscopy study of the lymphatic capillaries of human dental pulp

The existence and the morphological characteristics of the lymphatic capillaries of the dental pulp have been and are yet discussed. In this study the morphological properties of the lymphatic capillaries of the healthy human dental pulp have been described at light and electron microscopy. For the investigation human enclosed incisive and canine teeth surgically extracted and permanent premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were used. On semithin sections the lymph capillaries are detectable as vessels of 15-50 microns in diameter with a very irregular shape and a subtle wall. No pericytes or muscular cells surround the endothelial lining. At ultrastructural level the lymph capillaries show a very thin and indented wall with protrusions towards the vessels lumen or the interstitium. The connections between adjacent endothelial cells are different and variously shaped: end to end contacts, overlapping between cellular protrusions and complex interdigitations among multiple protrusions of the endothelial cells. Sometimes the overlappings between endothelial cells determine intraparietal channels in communications with the interstitium and the vessel lumen. A discontinuous basal lamina and a network of filaments and fibrils surround the endothelial wall. Between the cytoplasmic organelles micropinocytotic vesicles, multivesicular bodies and the Weibel-Palade bodies are present.     

Lymphatic vessels in inflamed human dental pulp

Investigation has been performed on both the light and electron microscopic characteristics of the lymphatic vessels present in the dental pulp of human teeth which have been affected by serious carious lesions. These conditions provoke a severe inflammatory response resulting in structural and functional modifications of the tissue; increase of the tissue pressure is followed by the need for a more intensive lymphatic drainage. In the inflamed pulps, dilated lymphatic vessels with distended walls and "open junctions" between endothelial cells are detectable. On the other hand they lack certain endothelial structures which characterize the morphology of these vessels under normal conditions. In the pulpal regions affected by fibrotic proliferation shrunken vessels with irregular profiles are present. From these observations it is possible to obtain other information on the mechanisms regulating the lymphatic drainage in different structural and functional conditions of the interstitium.     

Absence of lymphatic vessels in human dental pulp: a morphological study

Gerli R, Secciani I, Sozio F, Rossi A, Weber E, Lorenzini G. Absence of lymphatic vessels in human dental pulp: a morphological study. Eur J Oral Sci 2010; 118: 110–117. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Eur J Oral Sci Few and controversial data are available in the literature regarding the presence of lymphatic vessels in the human dental pulp. The present study was designed to examine morphologically the existence of a lymph drainage system in human dental pulp. Human dental pulp and skin sections were immunohistochemically stained with specific antibodies for lymphatic endothelium (D2‐40, LYVE‐1, VEGFR‐3 [vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐3], and Prox‐1), with the pan‐endothelial markers CD31 and von Willebrand factor (vWF), and with the blood‐specific marker CD34. Several blood vessels were identified in human pulps and skin. Lymphatic vessels were found in all human skin samples but in none of the pulps examined. Western blotting performed on human dermis and on pulps treated with collagenase (to remove odontoblasts) confirmed these results. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that vessels which, by light microscopy, appeared to be initial lymphatic vessels had no anchoring filaments or discontinuous basement membrane, both of which are typical ultrastructural characteristics of lymphatic vessels. These results suggest that under normal conditions human dental pulp does not contain true lymphatic vessels. The various theories about dental pulp interstitial fluid circulation should be revised accordingly.     

The blood capillaries in the subodontoblastic region of the human dental pulp, as demonstrated by freeze-fracturing

The microvasculature of the subodontoblastic region in the human dental pulp was studied, using freeze-fracturing. This technique allows an analysis of the fine structure of the vascular endothelium with special reference to the membrane structure. The blood capillaries were noted to be of the non-fenestrated or continuous type, although a few fenestrated vessels were observed. The endothelial plasmalemma often exhibited bundles of fibrillar structures, presumably myofilaments. There was a relatively large number of micropinocytotic vesicles and the interendothelial spaces were closed juxtaluminally by tight junctions (zonulae occludentes). The junctions appeared mostly as two to four strands, seen as ridges or grooves on the cell membrane. Thin-walled, irregular, tissue channels lacking the typical, blood-vessel configuration were disclosed. These vessels were believed to represent lymphatics.     

Age-related changes in blood capillary endothelium of human dental pulp: an ultrastructural study

AIM: To describe the ultrastructural changes that occur in pulpal blood capillaries as a result of ageing. METHODOLOGY: Thirty samples of healthy dental pulps were obtained from functional human permanent teeth. Two age groups were examined: young (10-17 years) and old (>60 years). The teeth were extracted under local anaesthesia using mepivacaine without adrenaline (Scandonest 3%, Septodont, Saint-Maur des Fossés, France) and split longitudinally in a bench press. The pulps were gently removed, immersed in fixative solution, sectioned and processed by conventional transmission electron microscopic techniques. Micrographs were taken from the endothelium, and the whole capillary area of each vessel was examined. RESULTS: In young pulps, the endothelial cell layer was characterized by the presence of numerous pinocytotic vesicles and microvesicles, RER cisterns, free ribosomes, a small Golgi complex, centrioles, microtubules, microfilaments and mitochondria. In the endothelial cell cytoplasm of older pulpal vessels, pinocytotic vesicles and microvesicles, as well as microfilaments, were more numerous. In addition, lipid-like vacuoles, monogranular glycogen granules and extensive Golgi complexes with dilated cisterns were also present. Weibel-Palade bodies were observed in both age groups without showing variations related with age. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in capillaries of aged pulpal tissue suggest that the endothelium experiences morphological changes that could be associated with advancing age.     

Natural modifiers of the inflammatory process in the human dental pulp.

Concentrations of the protease inhibitors alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin were determined in normal and inflamed human dental pulps. Carious pulpal exposure which is associated with polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration and release of lysosomal enzymes was chosen as the point of verifiable inflammatory activity in the pulp. Normal samples were collected from nondiseased third molar teeth treatment planned for extraction and inflamed human pulps were collected from teeth with deep carious lesions. One half of each sample was assayed for concentration of protease inhibitors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the remaining half was examined histologically to verify the clinical diagnosis and categorize the extent of the inflammatory process. alpha 1-Antitrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin were detected in normal and inflamed human dental pulps in the nanogram per milliliter range. Statistically significant differences were found in the concentrations of alpha 2-macroglobulin (p less than 0.01) in moderate to severe inflammation versus normal pulp categories and between mildly inflamed pulps and moderate to severely inflamed pulps (p less than 0.05). Although differences in concentrations of alpha 1-antitrypsin were seen between inflamed and normal pulps, the differences were not statistically significant. The presence of these two protease inhibitors in the human dental pulp tissue and the increase in their concentration in acute inflammation indicates that these proteins play a role in the pathogenesis of pulpal inflammatory disease.