Histochemical Study of the Ameloblasts and the Enamel Matrix in Rat Molars

¹ Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, and the School of Dentistry of the Hebrew-University-Hadassah, and the Department of Pathology, Government Hospital, Tel-Hashomer, Jerusalem, Israel

The enamel matrix of the first maxillary molar of rats aged 2-16 days was investigated by means of histochemical methods for the detection of polysaccharides and lipids. The findings indicated the presence of neutral polysaccharides, which became partially converted into strongly acidic polysaccharides. These polysaccharides may serve as a framework on which the calcium salts are deposited. Two types of lipid substances were detected: (1) an intracellular, sudanophilic, unsaturated lipid, which probably serves as a source of reserve energy for the cell, and (2) an intercellular lipid, a lipoprotein, which may also play a role in calcification, possibly in the primary nucleation.