Question

The epithelium covering the tongue is
A. Pseudostratified
B. Squamous keratinized
C. Squamous non keratinized
D. Simple cuboidal

Answer 1

Hint: Epithelial tissue covers most of the body surfaces. It also lines hollow body cavities and organs. Major functions of epithelium are absorption, filtration, secretion, and excretion.

Complete step by step answer:
The tongue is present on the floor of the mouth. It is a muscular organ that helps in mastication and swallowing of food. It helps in taste and has taste buds with lingual papillae. The tongue is mainly divided into two parts: the frontal part is the oral part which is \[2/3\]rd of the total tongue and the posterior part is the pharyngeal part which lies close to the throat. The tongue can detect \[4\] types of taste namely sweet, salt, bitter, and sour.
The surface of the tongue is covered by stratified squamous epithelium which is modified into filiform papillae. The keratinized cells have no nucleus or organelles. Keratin’s presence makes the surface smooth. Taste buds are a group of oral elongated, which is extended across the thickness of the epithelium. There is no keratinization present on the surface of the tongue.
So, the right answer is Option C (Squamous Non keratinized).
Additional Information:-
Depending on the region of the tongue epithelium is keratinized or non keratinized. It is squamous non keratinized in the soft palate, inner lips, floor, inner cheeks, and ventral surfaces of the tongue and keratinized squamous in the hard palate and dorsal surface of the tongue. However, the papillae present are also keratinized tips and hence provide roughness to the tongue's food handling capacity.

Note: Unlike keratinized epithelium, nonkeratinized epithelium normally has no superficial layers showing keratinization. Nonkeratinized epithelium may, however, readily transform into a keratinizing type in response to frictional or chemical trauma, in which case it undergoes hyperkeratinization.