ABSTRACT
Objective To delineate the epidermal calcium ions distribution in normal and acetone-treated nude mouse skin. Methods acetone was applied on the nude mouse skin for 20*!min with cotton balls. The ion capture cytochemistry, i.e., the potassium oxalate-pyroantimonate method was employed to localize calcium ions in nude mouse epidermis for ultrastructural examination. Results Ultrastructural examinations demonstrate that abundant calcium ions displayed within the epidermis, with a low content of calcium in the basal and spinous layers, followed by a progressive increase with calcium content and reaching its maximal density within the outer stratum granulosum. Whereas, application of acetone to the nude mouse skin caused the loss of the epidermal calcium gradient.Conclusion The present results suggest that a calcium gradient exists within normal murine epidermis. Moreover, the ion capture cytochemistry is a potentially powerful investigative tool for the demonstration of epidermal ionic environment.