Ultrastructural aspects of the muscle of theanterior third of rabbit

ABSTRACT

The structural organization of the anterior third of adult rabbit tongue was studied using light microscopy andconventional and high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Histologically, the muscle layer of the tongue consistedof muscle fibers arranged vertically, transversally and longitudinally. These fibers were surrounded by connectivetissue containing bundles of collagen fibers that formed the endomysium and the perimysium. Capillary blood vesselswere noted in the connective tissue between muscle fibers. Silver impregnation demonstrated the presence of numerousbundles of nerve fibers distributed irregularly around the muscle fibers. High-resolution scanning electron microscopyshowed that the sarcoplasm of the muscle cells consisted of bundles of myofilaments arranged longitudinally andnumerous mitochondria.