Hilliges M, Astbäck J, Wang L, Arvidson K, Johansson O
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anat Rec. 1996 Aug;245(4):621-32. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199608)245:4<621::AID-AR2>3.0.CO;2-R.
Current conflicting information on the innervation of the human oral cavity indicates technical problems such as different detectability of the neural structures according to the various staining methods used and difficulties in reproducibility. The possibility of intraoral regional differences has not been properly considered.
Human biopsies of mucosa from different intraoral regions were prepared for immunohistochemistry using protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5; a marker for neuronal structures).
Nerves were found consistently in all the biopsies. The neural pattern showed clear regional differences. Intraepithelial nerve fibers were found in the gingiva, labia, palate, within certain fungiform papillae, and in some salivary excretory ducts. Organized nerve endings were found in varying frequencies in all but one (sublingual) region, appearing as lamellar (Meissner-like), coiled or glomerular neural structures. Merkel cell-neurite complexes were observed in the buccal, gingival, and palatal epithelia. Immunoreactive cells with many similarities to Merkel cells but without a neural connection were also encountered.
Conflicting results from earlier innervation studies of the oral cavity could be attributed to regional innervation differences. The distribution of the nerves also casts doubt on some of the present theories concerning the function(s) of intraoral nerves, such as the free nerve endings and the Merkel cell-neurite complexes.
目前关于人类口腔神经支配的信息相互矛盾，这表明存在技术问题，如根据所使用的各种染色方法，神经结构的可检测性不同，以及可重复性方面的困难。口腔内区域差异的可能性尚未得到充分考虑。
使用蛋白基因产物9.5（PGP 9.5；一种神经元结构标记物）对来自口腔不同区域的黏膜活检组织进行免疫组织化学制备。
在所有活检组织中均一致发现神经。神经模式显示出明显的区域差异。在牙龈、唇、腭、某些菌状乳头内以及一些唾液排泄管中发现了上皮内神经纤维。除一个区域（舌下）外，在所有其他区域均以不同频率发现了有组织的神经末梢，表现为板层状（类迈斯纳样）、盘绕状或球状神经结构。在颊、牙龈和腭上皮中观察到默克尔细胞 - 神经突复合体。还遇到了与默克尔细胞有许多相似之处但无神经连接的免疫反应性细胞。
早期口腔神经支配研究结果相互矛盾可能归因于区域神经支配差异。神经的分布也对目前一些关于口腔神经功能的理论提出了质疑，如游离神经末梢和默克尔细胞 - 神经突复合体。
