Pacinian Corpuscles in the Human Fetal Finger and Thumb: A Study Using 3D Reconstruction and Immunohistochemistry

Abstract

The detailed distribution of Pacinian corpuscles was evaluated by viewing the transverse sections of all fingers and thumbs, including the interdigital areas, from eight hands of five fetuses of gestational age 28–33 weeks (crown‐rump length 230–290 mm). Among the 40 fingers and thumbs, serial sections were prepared for 3D reconstructions of nerve elements in the distal and middle phalangeal segments of three fifth fingers; in these three fingers, the distal segment contained 45–75 Pacinian corpuscles. These Pacinian corpuscles were 0.2–1.0 mm in length and 0.05–0.3 mm in thickness, oriented along the proximodistal axis and arranged along the palmar digital nerve branches. Other than beneath the digital skin, small corpuscles (<0.1 mm in thickness) were observed within the tendon sheath of the flexors in the middle or distal segment of five fetuses and in the nail beds of four fetuses. Clusters of 5–20 corpuscles formed bouquet‐ or tree‐like arrangements along neurovascular bundles in the fingers, thumbs and interdigital areas. Because the space beneath the skin was thick and loose in the interdigital area, trees in the interdigital area were up to 2 mm long. Regardless of site, the central core of each corpuscle was positive for S100 protein, while the core and parts of the capillaries in the corpuscle were weakly positive for nestin. Because corpuscles in the tendon sheath and nail bed, as well as bouquet‐ and tree‐like arrangements of corpuscles, have not been reported in adults, these morphologies are likely specific to fetuses. Anat Rec, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 301:154–165, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.