Transganglionic transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or horseradish peroxidase-wheat germ agglutinin conjugate (HRP-WGA) was used to map in detail the central projections of trigeminal primary afferent neurons that innervate the dental pulp organ of the rat. In each of ten animals, 0.5-2.0 microliters of enzyme solution was injected into the pulp chamber of the first maxillary molar tooth. Postmortem examination of the decalcified teeth in all cases showed that the HRP/HRP-WGA remained confined to the pulp chamber and pulp roots, with no spread of enzyme into periapical tissues. HRP-labeled tooth pulp afferent fibers projected to all four rostrocaudal subdivisions of the ipsilateral trigeminal brainstem nuclear complex (TBNC) and to the upper cervical spinal cord. The labeled terminal fields formed a column that stretched relatively uninterrupted from just caudal to the rostromedial tip of the trigeminal principal sensory nucleus to at least the C2 segment of the spinal cord. The density of the afferent projection varied markedly from one rostrocaudal level of the TBNC to the next but was heaviest in an area encompassing the caudal one-half of the principal sensory nucleus and the rostral two-thirds of pars oralis. Fibers projected only lightly to pars caudalis, where they terminated preferentially in laminae I, IIa, and the junctional zone between laminae IV and V. HRP-labeled terminals in C1 and C2 were located almost exclusively in laminae I. In the dorsoventral axis, the terminal fields in the TBNC were located in a surprisingly dorsal part of the complex, well within what has been shown by others to be largely an area of termination for mandibular division fibers. Most fibers ended in medial parts of the TBNC, with the exception of two modestly labeled terminal fields located in the lateral aspects of rostral pars oralis and rostral pars caudalis. No labeled fibers terminated in the contralateral TBNC or contralateral cervical spinal cord.

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Vascular injection of the macromolecular tracer, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), was used to study the permeability of the odontoblast cell layer in developing and mature rat molar teeth, and to investigate the effect of cavity preparations on the permeability of this epithelioid cell layer in adult animals. HRP injected into the vascular system of normal animals 28 days of age and older was localized histochemically (from 5 to 90 min after injection) throughout the extracellular spaces of the maxillary dental pulps; however, the tracer did not penetrate beyond the tight junctions at the apical region of the odontoblast cell layer, and was absent from the predentin and dentin. In contrast, HRP injected into very young neonatal animals (e.g., day 3) resulted in free passage of HRP between odontoblasts and into the overlying predentin and dentin. When Class V cavities had been prepared in adult maxillary molars after HRP was injected into the blood stream, HRP reaction product penetrated the predentin and dentin immediately beneath the cavity preparation; however, adjacent, untraumatized areas of predentin and dentin in the operated teeth were devoid of reaction product. These results provide evidence that: (1) a physiological barrier develops between the distal segments of odontoblast cell bodies in normal rat molar teeth between days 15 and 28 of postnatal life, and this barrier prevents the passage of macromolecules from the pulp into the predentin and dentin; and (2) this barrier is perturbed following routine restorative procedures in adult animals.

The ability to use the tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) method for studying neuronal connections at the electron microscopic level is often difficult because the conditions of osmification and dehydration used in processing the tissue may result in significant loss and/or decreased electron density of the reaction product. In the present study, we report that stabilization of TMB reaction product with 5% ammonium molybdate (AM) prior to osmificating the tissue results in the formation of TMB-AM crystals that are many times more electron dense and resistant to ethanol extraction than non-stabilized TMB crystals. The nature of the chemical interaction that underlies the stabilization of TMB by AM is uncertain, but it may involve the formation of an insoluble salt between molybdic ions and the TMB polymer. The use of this simple procedure increases the sensitivity of the TMB procedure at the electron microscopic level and may be used to label neuronal pathways in the peripheral and central nervous systems with equal success.

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The morphology and distribution of Merkel cells in primate gingival mucosa have been studied by correlated light and electron microscopic techniques. The gingival mucosa is composed of a stratified squamous epithelium with a dense underlying connective tissue stroma. The epithelium inter-digitates with the underlying connective tissue forming long interconnected rete ridges. Merkel cells and their associated axons are abundant in gingival mucosa where they are located, either individually or in clusters, at the base of epithelial rete ridges. These cells have an identical morphology to Merkel cells described by others in the hard palate, hairy skin, glabrous skin and eyelid. While individual Merkel cells are found throughout the gingival mucosa, Merkel cell clusters are most numerous in the mandibular lingual gingival mucosa. When correlating this finding with data from other investigators, it appears that Merkel cell clusters are located preferentially in the masticatory mucosa in intimate contact with the tongue and thus may function as an important source of somatosensory feedback providing valuable information regarding the position of the tongue in the oral cavity.

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) technique could be used as a method for labeling sensory nerve fibers (specifically, tooth pulp afferents) for detailed ultrastructural analyses. HRP injected into the trigeminal ganglion of adult rats was taken up by ganglion cell bodies and transported anterogradely to their peripheral endings in the dental tissues. Following perfusion-fixation, the teeth were decalcified in EDTA, sectioned, reacted for HRP activity according to the tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) technique, and processed for electron microscopy. The HRP-TMB reaction product was clearly visible within most of the axons in the dental pulp, appearing as conspicuous, rectangular shaped aggregates of fine rods or needles.

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