NaOH cell maceration/scanning electron microscopic studies on the architecture of the lamina propria of the mouse palate.

NaOH cell-maceration/SEM method was applied to the oral surface of the mouse palate to demonstrate the three-dimensional architecture of the lamina propria. In the caudal part of the hard palate, the lamina propria was characterized by the conspicuous parallel ridges which ran side by side in sagittal direction. In the boundary between the hard palate and the soft palate the parallel ridges interrupted abruptly, in the soft palate the ridges were extremely undeveloped to show the shrunken cloth-like appearance. Furthermore, the conical connective tissue papillae were lined up along the boundary. These findings suggest that the boundary between the hard plate and the soft palate is clear not only in the bony structure but in the lamina propria, and that the parallel ridges in the hard palate play an important role in ensuring from the excessive extending force during mastication.