Diameter and sarcomere length of skeletal muscle fibers in the tissue of the tongue during the developmental process of the sheep

Abstract

The tongue plays an important role in holding, chewing, and swallowing food. This study was designed to determine the diameter and sarcomere length of skeletal muscle fibers in different parts of the tongue during the developmental process of sheep. For this purpose, small tissue pieces were taken from the apex, body, and root parts of the tongue tissues of lambs, young sheep, and adult sheep. Tissue samples were fixed in %10 formaldehyde solution and Crossmon's triple staining was applied to the tissue sections after routine histological processing. The diameter and sarcomere length of the skeletal muscle fibers in the apex, body, and root parts of the tongue were measured. The diameter and sarcomere length of skeletal muscle fibers did not vary statistically between regions of the tongue in sheep at any age group (p>0.05). The sarcomere length of the skeletal muscle fibers in the apex, body, and root parts of the tongue did not change statistically with the development of the sheep (p>0.05). However, the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers at the apex and body of the tongue was statistically higher in adult sheep compared to lambs and young sheep, and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers at the root of the tongue was statistically higher in adult sheep compared to lambs (p