Early cellular changes following cryosurgery of oral mucosa in hamsters.

Mitotic activity in the basal epithelial cells and mast cell degranulation have been studied as markers of early cellular change following experimental cryosurgery of hamster sublingual epithelium. It has been shown that mitotic activity initially increases, suggesting that freezing is a stimulus to cell division. Within a short time mitotic activity rapidly falls and this fall is preceded by a marked fall in the number of intact mast cells in the tissue. The timing of both events supports the view that early damage is apparent before vascular stasis intervenes.