PLATE 55 • E SOPHAG US AN D STOMACH, CAR DIAC R EG ION KEY D, ducts of cardiac glands Ep, epithelium GL cardiac glands L, lymphocytes LP, lamina propria MGC, mucous gland cells MM, muscularis mucosae P, gastric pits SMC, surface mucous cells arrows, intraepithelial lymphocytes
The cardiac glands (GL) are limited to a narrow region around the cardiac orifice. They are not sharply delineated from the fundic region of the stomach that contains parietal and chief cells. Thus, at the boundary, occasional parietal cells are seen in the cardiac glands.
In certain animals (e.g., ruminants and pigs), the anatomy and histology of the stomach are different. In these, at least one part of the stomach is lined with stratified squamous epithelium.
Esophagogastric junction, esophagus-stomach, of cells named surface mucous cells (SMC). The content of the mucous human, H&E ×440. cup is usually lost during the preparation of the tissue, and thus, the apical cup portion of the cells appears empty in routine H&E paraffin sections The columnar cells of the stomach surface and gastric pits (P ) such as the ones shown in this plate.
produce mucus. Each surface and pit cell contains a mucous cup in its apical cytoplasm, thereby forming a glandular sheet is occasionally seen. The glands empty their secretions via ducts (D) into the bottom of the gastric pits. The cells forming the ducts are columnar, and the cytoplasm stains well with eosin. This makes it easy to distinguish the duct cells from mucous gland cells. Among the cells forming the duct portion of the gland are those that undergo mitotic division to replace both surface mucous and gland cells. Cardiac glands also contain enteroendocrine cells, but they are difficult to identify in routine H&E paraffin sections.
PLATE 55 • ESOPHAGUS AND STOMACH, CARDIAC REGIONMGCMGCGLGLLPLPMMMMGLGLDD PLEpEpMMMMGLGLEp P GL MM Ep L P P PP PP PP PP DD DD DD DD DD DD GL MM SMC LP MMMMMM GL GLGLGL MGC GLGLGL LL
The stomach is divided into three regions: the cardia, nearest the esophagus, contains cardiac glands that secrete primarily mucinogen; the pylorus, proximal to the gastrointestinal (pyloric) sphincter contains pyloric glands that secrete a mucinogen that resembles that of the sur-face mucous cells; and the fundus, the body or largest part of the stomach that contains the fundic (gastric) glands. Fundic glands contain parietal (oxyntic) cells, acidophilic cells that secrete 0.16 N HCl; and chief cells, basophilic cells that contain acidophilic secretory granules in the apical cytoplasm. The granules contain, principally, pepsinogen. The glands in all parts of the stomach contain enteroendocrine cells.
Stomach, human, H&E.