Ricardo Fierro-Murga; Alejandro Ceballos-Salobreña & Luis Gaitán-Cepeda

The objective was to identify the presence of neuroendocrine cells in primary taste buds (fetal) cells. We used 15 human embryionic fetal tongues derived from human spontaneous abortions (23 weeks gestation time) of patients admitted to the General Hospital, Chihuahua Mexico. A representative sample of lingual apex was embedded in paraffin and cut to 3 microns processed by immune histochemical technique using the following antibodies: anti-synaptophysin, neuro filament anti-protein, anti chromogranin; anti-citokeratin 20 and S100 anti proteins. Research was approved by bioethics committees of the participating institutions. Permission was obtained from the parents to use the biological material. The taste bud fetal cells were significantly positive for chromogranin and synaptophysin negative. The human fetal taste buds showed positive immunoreactivity against cyto keratin 20, while nerve fibers underlying the gustatory epithelium were positive for S100 protein. Immunohistochemical evidence shows the presence of neuro endocrine cells in human primordial taste bud papilla. This suggests a probable neuro endocrine or paracrine participation in the development of human taste buds.

KEY WORDS: Taste buds; Taste bud cells; Neuroendocrine; Chromogranin.

FIERRO-MURGA, R.; CEBALLOS-SALOBREÑA, A. & GAITÁN-CEPEDA, L. N. Neuroendocrine Cells in Primordial Taste Buds. Int. J. Morphol., 31(2):444-448, 2013.