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 the holding, chewing, and swallowing of 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 pieces of tissue were taken from the apex, the body, and the root parts of the tongue of sheep aged 6-12 months (G1, n:6), 1-2 years (G2, n:6), and 3-5 years (G3, n:6). 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 tongue's apex, body, and root parts were measured. The diameter and sarcomere length of skeletal muscle fibers did not vary statistically between tongue regions in sheep in 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 parts of the tongue was statistically higher in G3 compared to G1 and G2, and the diameter of skeletal muscle fibers at the root part of the tongue was statistically higher in G3 compared to G1 (p<0.05). As a result, sarcomere length did not change throughout the development of the sheep, but skeletal muscle fiber diameter increased. Furthermore, skeletal muscle fiber diameter and sarcomere length did not vary between regions of the tongue.