Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Apr;7(Suppl 1):S190-3.
doi: 10.4103/0975-7406.155898.

Myoepithelial cells in pathology

N Balachander  1 , K M K Masthan  1 , N Aravindha Babu  1 , V Anbazhagan  1
Affiliations
Review

Myoepithelial cells in pathology

N Balachander et al. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Myoepithelial cells are a normal constituent of the salivary acini and ducts and are found between the epithelial cells and the basement membrane. Microscopically myoepithelial cells are thin and spindle-shaped and ultrastructurally they possess a number of Cytoplasmic processes that extend between and over the acinar and ductal-lining cells, and they show features of both smooth muscle and epithelium. They play a vital role during expulsion of saliva and regulates the electrolytic exchange. They also perform as tumor suppressors and are considered to play a very important role in differentiation of various salivary gland tumors and help in the diagnosis of tumors. Neoplastic myoepithelial cells in both benign and malignant tumors can take numerous forms including epithelioid, plasmacytoid, spindle and clear cell variant, and this variability largely accounts for difficulties in histopathological diagnosis.

Keywords: Myoepithelial cells; epithelioid cells and basket cells; salivary glands.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Gnepp DR. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co; 2001. Diagnostic Surgical Pathology of the Head and Neck.
    1. Triantafyllou AG. Histochemical detection of myoepithelial cells in pleomorphic adenoma with azophloxine and amidoblack. J Oral Med. 1986;41:184–8. - PubMed
    1. Hübner G, Klein HJ, Kleinsasser O, Schiefer HG. Role of myoepithelial cells in the development of salivary gland tumors. Cancer. 1971;27:1255–61. - PubMed
    1. Wang YL, Tan Y, Satoh Y, Ono K. Morphological changes of myoepithelial cells of mouse lacrimal glands during postnatal development. Histol Histopathol. 1995;10:821–7. - PubMed
    1. Ellis GL. 1st ed. Vol. 25. Philadelphia: Elsevier Health Sciences; 1991. Surgical Pathology of Salivary Glands.