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Correlated alkaline phosphatase histochemistry and quantitative backscattered electron imaging in the study of rat incisor ameloblasts and enamel mineralization
Author(s) -
Gomez Santiago,
Boyde Alan
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.1070290105
Subject(s) - ameloblast , mineralization (soil science) , alkaline phosphatase , amelogenesis , incisor , enamel paint , enamel organ , chemistry , anatomy , biology , materials science , dentistry , enzyme , medicine , biochemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , nitrogen
The different functional conditions of pre‐ameloblasts, secretory ameloblasts, and maturation ameloblasts in 9 day rat incisors were recognized using high resolution light microscopic alkaline phosphatase histochemistry: Digital backscattered electron imaging was performed using the block surfaces from which thin sections were taken for histochemical study. It was possible to correlate exact locations in histochemical sections with positions in the block face at all stages of enamel mineralization from early secretion through late maturation. The first steep increase in the rate of mineralization of completed enamel matrix occurs after the first transition from smooth ended ameloblasts to ruffle ended ameloblasts. In the 9 day rat incisors used for this purpose, there are only two smooth to ruffle cyclical transitions, and the width of successional smooth ended bands of ameloblasts in the maturation cycling process is always narrow. Nevertheless, there seems to be a good correlation between mineralization increase and the acquisition of the high alkaline phosphatase activity in the deeply enfolded distal cytoplasm of the ruffle‐ended maturation stage ameloblasts. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.