Gastric mucosa

mucus
Stomach
Section of mucous membrane of human stomach, near the cardiac orifice. X 45. c. Cardiac glands. d. Their ducts. cr. Gland similar to the intestinal glands, with goblet cells. mm. Mucous membrane. m. Muscularis mucosæ. m’. Muscular tissue within the mucous membrane.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	mucous
Dorlands /Elsevier	t_22/12831946
TA	A05.5.01.027
FMA	14907
Anatomical terminology []

The gastric mucosa is the mucous membrane layer of the stomach which contains the glands and the gastric pits. In humans it is about 1 mm thick and its surface is smooth, soft, and velvety. It consists of simple columnar epithelium, lamina propria, and the muscularis mucosae.

In its fresh state, it is of a pinkish tinge at the pyloric end and of a red or reddish-brown color over the rest of its surface. In infancy it is of a brighter hue, the vascular redness being more marked.

It is thin at the cardiac extremity, but thicker toward the pylorus. During the contracted state of the organ it is thrown into numerous plaits or rugae, which, for the most part, have a longitudinal direction, and are most marked toward the pyloric end of the stomach, and along the greater curvature. These folds are entirely obliterated when the organ becomes distended.

When examined with a lens, the inner surface of the mucous membrane presents a peculiar honeycomb appearance from being covered with funnel-like depressions or foveolae of a polygonal or hexagonal form, which vary from 0.12 to 0.25 mm. in diameter. These are the ducts of the gastric glands, and at the bottom of each may be seen one or more minute orifices, the openings of the gland tubes. Gastric glands are simple or branched tubular glands that emerge on the deeper part of the gastric foveola, inside the gastric areas and outlined by the folds of the mucosa.

There are three types of glands: cardiac glands (in the proximal part of the stomach), fundic (oxyntic) glands (the dominating type of gland), and pyloric glands. The cardiac glands mainly contain mucus-producing cells called foveolar cells. The bottom part of the oxyntic glands is dominated by zymogenic (chief) cells that produce pepsinogen (an inactive precursor of the pepsin enzyme). Parietal cells, which secrete hydrochloric acid (HCl) are scattered in the glands, with most of them in the middle part. The upper part of the glands consist of mucous neck cells; in this part the dividing cells are seen. The pyloric glands contain mucus-secreting cells.