The lining of the vaginal mucosa in primates is a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium.
As in other structurally similar epithelia, one function of the vaginal epithelium is to provide a
barrier between the external environment and the underlying tissues. The vaginal lining is
aglandular and the source of true vaginal fluid has been suggested to be the intercellular
channels of the epithelium. On the other hand, other structurally similar epithelia have been
shown to have a barrier to the movement of water-soluble molecules through these …