Mapping Nasal Epithelial Zonation and Turbinate Development in Infant Common Marmosets

In our study published in Scientific Reports, we characterized the postnatal development of the nasal cavity in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Using high-resolution micro-CT and histological analyses, we compared nasal turbinate morphology and epithelial distribution across neonatal, infant, and adult stages.

We found that young marmosets had relatively simple and immature maxilloturbinate and ethmoturbinate structures compared with adults, while the spatial zonation of squamous, transitional, respiratory, and olfactory epithelia was already largely established early in life. Increased epithelial proliferation and lower goblet cell abundance in young animals further suggested continued structural and functional maturation after birth. These findings provide a useful anatomical and histological reference for respiratory, olfactory, and preclinical studies using common marmosets.