Electron Microscopy of Dendritic Cells in the Human Corneal Epithelium: a Modified Masson's Ammoniated Silver Nitrate Stain.

It has been suggested that the nature of dendritic cells in the corneal epithelium is a melanocyte of neural crest origin, but no cytochemical evidence is yet available.' Recently, it has been reported by Mishima and co-workers that an ammoniated silver nitrate stain, modified for use in electron microscopy, produces a highly selective metallic deposit not only in melanin granules but also in cytoplasmic structures which are essential to melanin formation but contain neither tyrosinase activity nor a chemical precursor of melanin. This report describes the fine structures of dendritic cells in both human corneal and conjunctival epithelium, stained with the reduced silver nitrate stain.