The application of stereological methods for studying the effects of differing fixative osmolalities on the intercellular space of oral epithelium I. Normal epithelium

Abstract

Abstract. Mucosa from the anterior palate of the rat was fixed in a variety of commonly used fixatives for electron microscopy having different osmolalities and chemical compositions. The volume of the intercellular space of the epithelium was assessed using a stereological technique in which a test grid was superimposed over electron micrographs of sections through the epithelium, and the relative areas of that test grid overlying cellular and intercellular components were measured. Epithelium fixed in solutions isotonic with mammalian serum showed an intercellular space occupying approximately 4% of the total tissue volume. There was a tendency for the intercellular space to increase with increasing osmolality of the fixative, although this relationship was not a simple one; the chemical nature of the fixative solution may also influence the response.