MICRO

A 3.1 HISTOLOGY OF GIT (Part 1)

1B-Medicine

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Dennis Ivan Bravo, MD - 9.3.13

Histology of GIT Part 1 includes:

Mouth Accessory Organs
o Salivary glands
o Tongue
Esophagus & Stomach

2. SUBMUCOSA
- Composed of LCT(some areas have Dense CT),
blood vessels, nerves often termed plexuses,
lymphatics

3. MUSCULARIS EXTERNA/TUNICA MUSCULARIS
Beginning &end (mouth & anus)
- skeletal muscle denotes VOLUNTARY control in
these areas
In between(lower esophagus to rectum)
- smooth muscle: INVOLUNTARY
General arrangement
- Inner circular; outer longitudinal

FUNCTIONS OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Digestion: Break down food into forms absorbable
by the body
Excretion: ex. Excretion of bile
Endocrine function: hormones secreted in various
parts of the GIT like Grailin (secreted in stomach)

ORGANS OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Divided into (for lecture purposes in Histology):
Gastrointestinal Tract
- Continuous muscular tube passageway
- Mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small
intestines, large intestines, rectum, anus
Accessory Organs
- Teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gall bladder,
pancreas

(to remember: iCOL J)

- BUT, there are regional variations:

Stomach: there are 3 layers
Large intestines: outer longitudinal is
incomplete

4. SEROSA (Outermost layer)
- If no mesothelium is present, it is called
ADVENTITIA

Mucosa and Submucosa are thrown into folds that
vary in name in relation to its location:
Stomach: Rugae
Small Intestines: Plicae circularis
Large Intestines: Plicae semilunaris

SALIVARY GLANDS

2 Types According to Size:
1. Major large glands
(sublingual, submandibular, parotid)
2. Minor small glands
(labial, buccal, lingual, palatine)

GENERAL HISTOLOGY OF THE GIT
Composed of 4 layers:
(Mucosa, Submucosa, Muscularis externa & Serosa)

1. MUCOSA (innermost)
- LE: Stratified squamous or simple columnar (only 2
types of LE to remember in GIT)
For parts that are constantly subjected to
stress (mouth, upper esophagus, anus)
LE is protective: Stratified squamous
The rest that specializes in absorption or
secretion: Simple columnar
- Lamina Propria (LP): Loose Connective Tissue (LCT)
- Muscularis mucosa(MM): smooth muscle
1

**Focus is on Major salivary glands**

MICRO A 3.1 HISTOLOGY OF GIT (Part 1)

1B-Medicine

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Dennis Ivan Bravo, MD - 9.3.13

MAJOR SALIVARY GLANDS

Morphological/ Structural Classification:
Compound tubuloalveolar (all)
- Two elements can be seen: an alveolar /acinar
portion that drains into a duct(tubular portion)
- Tubular part of sublingual NOT well developed
Types
o Parotid gland: lies outside the oral cavity at the
angle of the mandible
o Submandibular glands: can be found if mandible
is taken away, in the medial aspect
o Sublingual glands : located beneath the tongue,
embedded deeply & w/ connective tissues in the
floor of the oral cavity

2. SALIVAY GLAND DUCT

- Intercalated & Striated ducts
CONNECTIVE TISSUE SEPTA
-divides gland into lobules

ACINI immediately drains
into the INTERCALATED DUCT
that will eventually drain into
the larger STRIATED DUCT

INTRALOBULAR DUCTS then
drain into INTERLOBULAR or
EXTRALOBULAR DUCTS
(outside lobule) contained
w/in the septa
Within a lobule contains:
-Acini
-Intralobular ducts
--Intercalated duct
--Striated ducts

Functional Classification:
o Serous, Mixed, Mucous

Epithelial components of submandibular gland lobule
Secretory portions are composed:
o Serous: rounded nucleus; dark staining
o Mucous: flattened nucleus near the base; light
staining
o Both are lined with pyramidal cells & surrounded
by myoepithelial cells
Intercalated ducts: lined by simple cuboidal
epithelium; small caliber
Striated ducts: lined by simple columnar cells; larger
caliber (apparent striations at the base)

The closer is the gland the oral cavity, the secretion is
predominantly mucous
The farther it is, the secretion is predominantly serous
Parotid gland: predominantly serous
Submandibular: mixed predominantly serous
Sublingual: mixed predominantly mucous

GENERAL HISTOLOGY OF SALIVARY GLANDS
1. ACINI
- Lined by pyramidal-shaped cells
v Staining characteristics depend on type of
secretion:
Mucous: low affinity to dye; appear light
Serous: high affinity to dye; appear darker
- All are surrounded at the base by myoepithelial
cells (posses contractile proteins to squeeze out
secretions)
- Eventually drain into a salivary gland duct
2

MICRO A 3.1 HISTOLOGY OF GIT (Part 1)

1B-Medicine

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Dennis Ivan Bravo, MD - 9.3.13

PAROTID GLAND

TONGUE
- Can be described as skeletal muscle covered by
mucous lined by stratified squamous epithelium
- Function is to give pleasure J (because it posseses
tastebudseating is one of the gustatory pleasures
of life)
- Contents:
2 types of muscle: instrinsic & extrinsic
Numerous minor salivary glands (Von Ebner-
serous, Blandin & Nuhn-mucous)
Lingual papilla: projections on the surface of
the tongue (filiform, foliate, fungiform &
circumvallate)

Acini - all are darkly stained, purely serous

- Prominent secretory granules (a)

Striated duct: prominent basal striations
produced by mitochondria located in the folds
of the basal aspect

SUBMANDIBULAR GLAND

4 Kinds of Lingual Papilla
1. FILIFORM (pointed)
- Smallest & most numerous
- Only one where LE is highly keratinized
- Keratinization plus pointed end gives its function
that is to provide friction to help move food during
chewing
- In animals, its function is for grooming (see how
cats lick themselves as hygiene?)

2. FOLIATE (blunt top)
- best developed in children & hardly seen in adults
- a lot of taste buds on the lateral aspect

3. FUNGIFORM (mushroom shaped)
- Scattered all throughout the tongue; irregularly
interspersed among the filiform papillae
- Taste buds located on the superior surface

4. VALLATE/CIRCUMVALLATE (mushroom but buried)
- Largest & least numerous
- found in posterior aspect of the tongue, anterior to
sulcus terminalis
- surrounded by furrow arranged in a V shaped
manner
- most numerous tastebuds located laterally

SUBLINGUAL GLAND

MICRO A 3.1 HISTOLOGY OF GIT (Part 1)

1B-Medicine

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Dennis Ivan Bravo, MD - 9.3.13

ESOPHAGO-GASTRIC JUNCTION
Notice abrupt change from
stratified squamous
epithelium of esophagus to
simple columnar epithelium
of stomach

TASTE BUDS
Composed of:
1. Gustatory (taste) cells
- Have microvilli on their surface that projects to an
opening called the taste pore
2. Supporting cells

STOMACH
- Function is to acidify chyme, produce gastric
enzymes & hormones

Distinct characteristics of each layer:
1. MUCOSA
- Thrown into longitudinal foldsrugae
- Found on the surface are gastric pits
- LE: Simple columnar
- LP: gastric glands,w/c open into the gastric pits,
occupy the entire thickness
- MM: 3 layers
Inner circular, Outer longitudinal, Outermost
circular

2. SUBMUCOSA
- Dense irregular collagenous tissue
- Has adipocytes
- Meissners plexus :bundle of nerves

3. MUSCULARIS EXTERNA/T. MUSCULARIS
3 layers of smooth muscles:
a. Incomplete inner oblique
b. Thick middle circular(forms the pyloric sphincter)
c. Outer longitudinal
*Auerbachs / Myenteric plexus found in between

ESOPHAGUS
- Muscular tube for food conduction

Distinct characteristics of each layer:

1. MUCOSA
- LE: Stratified squamous
* Esophago-gastric junction: squamous columnar
- LP: contain Superficial secreting esophageal
glands or esophageal cardiac glands
- MM: smooth muscle

2. SUBMUCOSA: Contain deep esophageal glands or
esophageal gland proper

3. MUSCULARIS EXTERNA/T. MUSCULARIS
- Upper 1/3: skeletal muscle only (voluntary)
- Middle 1/3: both skeletal & smooth
- Lower 1/3: smooth muscle only (involuntary)

Superficial & Deep esophageal glands
- help in lubrication for easy facilitation of food
- both secrete mucous

MICRO A 3.1 HISTOLOGY OF GIT (Part 1)

1B-Medicine

FEU-NRMF Institute of Medicine

Lecturer: Dennis Ivan Bravo, MD - 9.3.13

GASTRIC GLANDS
- Simple branched tubular glands in LP
- Parts: Isthmus (part that opens into the gastric
pits), neck and base
- Cells found:
a. Parietal/Oxyntic cells
Parenchyma of the stomach
Big spheroidal or pyramidal shaped cells
Acidophilic/ Eosinophilic
Found in between chief cells
Secrete HCl & Intrinsic factor

b. Chief/Principal/Zymogenic cells
Low columnar or cuboidal basophilic cells
Secrete Pespsinogen

c. Mucous neck cells
Found on the surface and neck
Pale staining
Secrete mucous for protection

d. Entreoendocrine cells (APUD cells)
Small pyramidal or flattened cells irregularly
scattered
can be seen in silver stain only (manual says in
chromium too) *thus the name Argentaffin or Entero-

Summary of gastric gland cells:

Stain
Mucous neck cells Pale staining
Parietal cells /
Eosinophilic
Oxyntic
Chief cells/
Basophilic
Zymogenic
Enteroendocrine
Silver stain
cells/ APUD cells

chromaffin cells

Secretion
Mucous
HCl (Gastric acid)
Inrinsic factor
Pepsinogen
Gastric lipase
Serotonin
Histamine
Gastrin

secrete Serotonin (5HT), Histamine & Gastrin

e. Regenerative stem cells

Chief cells located deeper than parietal cells

so that when Chief cells release Pesinogen,
it will meet with & activated by HCl released
by parietal cells.

Lets give our best! Happy studying! J