关键词: 解剖, 鼻窦, 鼻甲

Abstract:

Objective　This study provides researchers with histological characteristics of the nasal structure in normal BALB/c mice.　Methods　The heads of BALB/c mice were sectioned and imaged in the coronal or parasaggital planes. Hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff were used to further identify the nasal microstructures including turbinates, sinuses, and nasal epithelia.　Results　The nasal structure in normal BALB/c mice included vomeronasal organ and olfactory epithelia, nasoturbinate and maxilloturbinate, nasopharynx, osteomeatal complex, and anterior and posterior ethmoid sinuses formed by ethmoid labyrinth. Normal mice might not have frontal sinuses or sphenoid sinuses. Moreover, mice maxillary sinuses were characterized by an accumulation of submucosal glands.　Conclusions　Histological characteristics of the nasal structure in normal BALB/c mice are markedly different from that of human beings. Understanding these histological structures of normal mice shall provide an important anatomic basis for laboratories seeking to use mice in allergic rhinitis or rhinosinusitis studies.

Key words: Anatomy, Paranasal sinuses, Turbinates