Ebrahim Alisha, Reich Caitlan, Wilde Kurt, Salim Aly Muhammad, Hyrcza Martin D, Willetts Lian
Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2025 May;308(5):1425-1437. doi: 10.1002/ar.25561. Epub 2024 Aug 23.
The tubarial glands (TGs) are a collection of salivary glands (SGs) located within the nasopharynx, proximal to the eustachian tube. Currently, there is no quantitative characterization of the TGs. We investigated the histological architecture of the TGs and compared it with the major and minor SGs for categorization. Tubarial, parotid, submandibular, sublingual, buccal, labial, and lingual glands were excised from human donors (8 male and 3 female). Hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections were analyzed to measure the area of the largest lobule, number of ducts, number of mucinous acini, and mean mucinous acini area. Based on our observation, the TGs' histology resembles the minor SGs, while having some unique characteristics that distinguish them from both major and minor SGs. The area of the largest lobule in the TGs and minor SGs was smaller than the major SGs. TGs have a lower number of ducts than the major and minor SGs. TGs contain densely packed clusters of predominantly mucinous acini surrounded by loose connective tissue resembling minor SGs. This density may explain their previously observed high prostate-specific membrane antigen uptake. In our cohort of donors, sex-based differences were observed in the mean mucinous acini area between male and female TGs, submandibular and sublingual glands. Taken together, our findings suggest the histological characteristics of all SGs are better organized on a spectrum rather than discrete groups (major vs. minor) and provide information to open new avenues for research into the TGs' role in head and neck pathologies and sexual dimorphism of the SGs.
咽鼓管腺（TGs）是位于鼻咽部、咽鼓管近端的一组唾液腺（SGs）。目前，尚无对咽鼓管腺的定量特征描述。我们研究了咽鼓管腺的组织学结构，并与大唾液腺和小唾液腺进行比较以进行分类。从人类捐献者（8名男性和3名女性）身上切除咽鼓管腺、腮腺、下颌下腺、舌下腺、颊腺、唇腺和舌腺。对苏木精和伊红染色的组织切片进行分析，以测量最大小叶的面积、导管数量、黏液性腺泡数量和平均黏液性腺泡面积。基于我们的观察，咽鼓管腺的组织学与小唾液腺相似，但具有一些将它们与大唾液腺和小唾液腺区分开来的独特特征。咽鼓管腺和小唾液腺中最大小叶的面积小于大唾液腺。咽鼓管腺的导管数量比大唾液腺和小唾液腺少。咽鼓管腺含有密集排列的主要为黏液性腺泡的簇，周围是类似于小唾液腺的疏松结缔组织。这种密度可能解释了它们之前观察到的高前列腺特异性膜抗原摄取。在我们的捐献者队列中，观察到男性和女性的咽鼓管腺、下颌下腺和舌下腺在平均黏液性腺泡面积上存在基于性别的差异。综上所述，我们的研究结果表明，所有唾液腺的组织学特征在一个连续谱上比离散的组（大唾液腺与小唾液腺）组织得更好，并为研究咽鼓管腺在头颈部病理学中的作用以及唾液腺的性别二态性开辟新的研究途径提供了信息。
