REGENERATION OF RAT TRACHEAL EPITHELIUM AFTER MECHANICAL INJURY .2. RESTORATION OF SURFACE INTEGRITY DURING EARLY HOURS AFTER INJURY

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Abstract
Mechanical injury to ciliated and goblet cells of the rat tracheal epithelium resulted in sloughing of these cells. The basal cells of the pseudostratified epithelium remained. These cells, studied by scanning EM, transmission EM and cn face light microscopy after silver staining, were rounded and separated from one another for the 1st 2 h after injury. They became flat and were apposed to each other by 4 h after injury, but inter-cellular junctions were not uniformly present until 6 h after injury. By that time, early evidence of stratification of cells was observed, and L hydroxide, as a colloidal tracer placed in the tracheal lumen, was excluded form the spaces between cells. The changes were indicative of rapid restoration of barrier function after mild injury to the respiratory tract lining as a 1st step in the reparative process.

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