Kurata Ryuichiro, Futaki Sugiko, Nakano Itsuko, Fujita Fumitaka, Tanemura Atsushi, Murota Hiroyuki, Katayama Ichiro, Okada Fumihiro, Sekiguchi Kiyotoshi
Laboratory of Advanced Cosmetic Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Suita, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
Fundamental Research Institute, Mandom Corporation, Osaka-city, Osaka, Japan.
PLoS One. 2017 Jun 21;12(6):e0178709. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178709. eCollection 2017.
Because sweat secretion is facilitated by mechanical contraction of sweat gland structures, understanding their structure-function relationship could lead to more effective treatments for patients with sweat gland disorders such as heat stroke. Conventional histological studies have shown that sweat glands are three-dimensionally coiled tubular structures consisting of ducts and secretory portions, although their detailed structural anatomy remains unclear. To better understand the details of the three-dimensional (3D) coiled structures of sweat glands, a whole-mount staining method was employed to visualize 3D coiled gland structures with sweat gland markers for ductal luminal, ductal basal, secretory luminal, and myoepithelial cells. Imaging the 3D coiled gland structures demonstrated that the ducts and secretory portions were comprised of distinct tubular structures. Ductal tubules were occasionally bent, while secretory tubules were frequently bent and formed a self-entangled coiled structure. Whole-mount staining of complex coiled gland structures also revealed the detailed 3D cellular arrangements in the individual sweat gland compartments. Ducts were composed of regularly arranged cuboidal shaped cells, while secretory portions were surrounded by myoepithelial cells longitudinally elongated along entangled secretory tubules. Whole-mount staining was also used to visualize the spatial arrangement of blood vessels and nerve fibers, both of which facilitate sweat secretion. The blood vessels ran longitudinally parallel to the sweat gland tubules, while nerve fibers wrapped around secretory tubules, but not ductal tubules. Taken together, whole-mount staining of sweat glands revealed the 3D cell shapes and arrangements of complex coiled gland structures and provides insights into the mechanical contraction of coiled gland structures during sweat secretion.
由于汗腺结构的机械收缩促进了汗液分泌，了解它们的结构与功能关系可能会为中暑等汗腺疾病患者带来更有效的治疗方法。传统的组织学研究表明，汗腺是由导管和分泌部分组成的三维盘绕管状结构，尽管其详细的结构解剖仍不清楚。为了更好地了解汗腺三维（3D）盘绕结构的细节，采用了整装染色法，用导管腔、导管基底、分泌腔和肌上皮细胞的汗腺标记物来可视化3D盘绕腺结构。对3D盘绕腺结构进行成像显示，导管和分泌部分由不同的管状结构组成。导管小管偶尔弯曲，而分泌小管经常弯曲并形成自我缠绕的盘绕结构。复杂盘绕腺结构的整装染色还揭示了各个汗腺隔室中详细的3D细胞排列。导管由规则排列的立方体细胞组成，而分泌部分被沿缠绕的分泌小管纵向拉长的肌上皮细胞包围。整装染色还用于可视化血管和神经纤维的空间排列，两者都促进汗液分泌。血管与汗腺小管纵向平行，而神经纤维缠绕在分泌小管周围，但不缠绕在导管小管周围。综上所述，汗腺的整装染色揭示了复杂盘绕腺结构的3D细胞形状和排列，并为汗液分泌过程中盘绕腺结构的机械收缩提供了见解。
