HISTOLOGY 0F DIGESTIVE

TRACTUS
Departemen Histologi
Fakultas Kedokteran
Universitas Sumatera Utara
GENERAL FEATURES OF THE
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

 Upper gastrointestinal tract

 Consists of the oral cavity, include lips, tongue, oral
mucosa and salivary glands: pharynx and esophagus.
 Involved in food intake, preparation of food for swallowing
and digestion, partial digestion of complex carbohydrates
and conveyance of food from oral cavity to the stomach
 Lower gastrointestinal tract
 Consists of the stomach, the small intestines and the large
intestines
MOUTH, OR ORAL CAVITY
 The oral cavity is the entrance to the digestive
tube and the oral epithelium, including
aggregates of lymphoid tissue.
 Ingestion, partial digestion, and
lubrication of the food, or bolus, are the
main functions of the mouth and its
associated salivary glands.
 We study the salivary glands in , Digestive
Glands.
 The mouth, or oral cavity, includes the lips,
cheeks, teeth, gums (gingivae), tongue, uvula,
and palate.
 The various regions of the oral cavity are lined by
three types of mucosae with structural variations:
 Lining mucosa (lips, cheeks, ventral surface of the
tongue, soft palate, mouth floor, and alveolar mucosa).
 Masticatory mucosa (gingiva and hard palate).
 Specialized mucosa (dorsal surface of the tongue).
 LIP
 The lips consist of three regions:
 The cutaneous region. The cutaneous region is
covered by thin skin with tall dermal
papillae (keratinized stratified squamous
epithelium with hair follicles and sebaceous and
sweat glands)
 The red or vermilion region. The red or vermilion
region is lined by a stratified squamous epithelium
supported by connective tissue containing blood vessels
responsible for the red color of this region
 The oral mucosa region. The oral mucosa region, that
is continuous with the mucosa of the cheeks and gums,
displays minor salivary glands.
GINGIVA, HARD, AND SOFT PALATE
 Masticatory mucosa covers the hard palate and
gingivae and sustains abrasion during food
mastication.
 The gums, or gingivae, are similar to the red region
of the lips, except on the free margin, where
significant keratinization is seen.
 The lamina propria of the gums binds tightly to the
periosteum of the alveolar processes of the maxillae
and mandible and to the periodontal membrane.
 The gums lack submucosa or glands.
 The hard palate is lined by a keratinizing stratified
squamous epithelium similar to that of the free
margins of the gums.
 A submucosa is present in the midline but absent in
the area adjacent to the gums.
 Collagenous fibers in the submucosa bind the mucosa
to the periosteum of the hard palate, enabling the
mucosa to resists shear forces and compression.
 Areas of fat and glandular tissue cushion the mucosa
to protect nerves and blood vessels of the hard palate.
 The soft palate and uvula are lined by a
nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium
extending into the oropharynx where it becomes
continuous with the pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium of the upper respiratory tract.
 The submucosa is loose and contains abundant
mucous and serous glands.
 Skeletal muscle fibers are present in the soft palate
and uvula.
 TONGUE
 The anterior two thirds of the tongue consist of a core
mass of skeletal muscle oriented in three
directions:longitudinal, transverse, and oblique.
 The posterior one third displays aggregations of lymphatic
tissue, thelingual tonsils.
 The dorsal surface of the tongue is covered by
a specialized mucosa consisting of a nonkeratinized
stratified squamous epithelium supported by a lamina
propria associated with the muscle core of the tongue.
 Serous and mucous glands extend across the lamina
propria and the muscle.
 The dorsal surface of the tongue contains numerous
mucosal projections called lingual papillae .
 Each lingual papilla is formed by a highly vascular
connective tissue core and a covering layer of stratified
squamous epithelium
 According to their shape, lingual papillae can be
divided into four types:
 1.Filiform papillae (narrow conical), the most abundant.
 2. Fungiform papillae (mushroom-shaped).
 3. Circumvallate papillae (wall-like).
 4.Foliate papillae (leaf-shaped), rudimentary in humans
but well developed in rabbits and monkeys.
 Taste buds are found in all lingual papillae
except the filiform papillae.
 Taste buds are barrel-shaped epithelial structures
containing chemosensory cells called gustatory
receptor cells.
 Gustatory receptor cells are in synaptic contact with
the terminals of the gustatory nerves.
 Serous glands, or Ebner's glands, in the
connective tissue, in contact with the underlying
muscle, are associated with the circumvallate
papilla
 into the floor of the circular furrow.

 The sides of the circumvallate papilla and the

facing wall of furrow contain several taste buds.
 Each taste bud,depending on the species,
consists of 50 to 150 cells, with its narrow apical
ends extending into a taste pore.
 A taste bud has three cell components :
 1. Taste receptor cells.
 2. Supporting cells (or immature taste cells).
 3. Precursor cells (or basal cells).
 Taste receptor cells have a life span of 10 to 14
days
 Precursor cells give rise to supporting cells
( orimmature taste cells) which, in turn,
become mature taste receptor cells.
 Sweet, sour, bitter, and salty are the four
classic taste sensations. A fifth taste
is umami (the taste enhanced by monosodium
glutamate).
 TOOTH
 In the adult human, dentition consists of 32
permanent teeth.
 The 16 upper teeth are embedded in alveolar
processes of the maxilla.
 The lower 16 teeth are embedded in similar alveolar
processes of the mandible.
 Each tooth consists of a crown and either single or
multiple roots
 The crown is covered by highly calcified layers
of enamel and dentin.
 The outer surface of the root is covered by another
calcified tissue calledcementum.
 The ectoderm, cranial neural crest, and mesenchyme
contribute to the development of the tooth.
 Ameloblasts derive from the ectoderm.
 Odontoblasts derive from the cranial neural
crest. Cementocytes derive from the mesenchyme.
 The odontoblast is a columnar epithelial-like cell
located at the inner side of the dentin, in the pulp
cavity
 Odontoblasts are active secretory cells that synthesize
and secrete type I collagen and noncollagenous
material, the organic components of the dentin.
 The periodontium supports and surrounds the tooth.
It consists of the following components:
 1. Cementum.
 2. Periodontal ligament.
 3. Bone of the alveolus or socket.
 4. The sulcus epithelium, part of the gingiva facing the
tooth.
 Ameloblasts are enamel-producing cells present only
during tooth development.
 Ameloblasts are no longer present following tooth
eruption.
 The ameloblast is a polarized columnar cell with
mitochondria and a nucleus present in the basal
region of the cell
 TOOTH DEVELOPMENT
 The ectoderm (ameloblasts), cranial neural crest
(odontoblasts), and mesenchyme (cementocytes)
contribute to tooth development.
 The stages of tooth development are:
 (1) Bud stage: Ectodermic epithelial cells to proliferate and
form the epithelial tooth bud.
 (2) Early cap stage: Cells of the epithelial tooth bud
proliferate and invaginate into the underlying mesoderm.
 (3) Late cap stage: The cells at the growing end of the
dental bud form a caplike structure. The epithelial tooth
bud is lined by an outer and inner dental epithelium. The
bud of the permanent tooth develops from the dental
lamina and remains dormant. The enamel knot signals
tooth development.
 (4) Bell stage: At the enamel knot site, the outermost
cells of the dental papilla differentiate into dentin-
producing odontoblasts. A single layer of enamel-
secreting ameloblasts develops in the inner dental
epithelium portion of the enamel knot.
 (5) Tooth eruption: The dental sac gives rise to
cementoblasts, which secrete a layer of cementum,
and cells forming the periodontal ligament, holding
the tooth in its bony socket, or alveolus.
GENERAL ORGANIZATION OF THE
DIGESTIVE TUBE

 This organizsation is characterized by distinct and

significant structural variations reflecting changes in
functional activity.
 After the oral cavity, the digestive tube is
differentiated into four major organs: esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.
 Each of these organs is made up of four concentric
layers
 1. The mucosa.
 2. The submucosa.
 3. The muscularis.
 4. The adventitia, or serosa.
Esophagus
 The esophagus is a muscular tube linking the
pharynx to the stomach.
 The esophageal mucosa consists of a stratified
squamous epithelium overlying a lamina propria
with numerous connective tissue papillae
 The muscularis mucosae is not present in the
upper portion of the esophagus, but it becomes
organized near the stomach
 The submucosa contains a network of collagen and
elastic fibers and many small blood vessels.
 At the lower end of the esophagus, submucosal
venous plexuses drain into both the systemic
venous system and the portal venous system.
 Mucosal and submucosal glands are found in the
esophagus. Their function is to produce continuously a
thin layer of mucus that lubricates the surface of the
epithelium.
 The mucosal tubular glands, residing in the lamina
propria, resemble the cardiac glands of the stomach and
are called cardiac esophageal glands.
 The composition of the inner circumferential (or circular)
and outer longitudinal layers of
the muscularisshows segment-dependent variations.
 In the upper third of the esophagus, both layers consist
of striated muscle. In the middle third, smooth
muscle fibers can be seen deep to the striated
muscle.
 In thelower third, both layers of the muscularis
contain smooth muscle cells.
STOMACH
 The stomach extends from the esophagus to the
duodenum.
 The epithelium changes from stratified squamous to a
simple columnar type at the gastroesophageal
junction.
 The function of the stomach is to homogenize and
chemically process the swallowed semisolid food.
 Four regions are recognized in the stomach:
 1. The cardia , a 2- to 3-cm-wide zone surrounding the
esophageal opening.
 2. The fundus , projecting to the left of the opening of the
esophagus.
 3. The body, an extensive central region.
 4. The pyloric antrum
 The empty stomach shows gastric mucosal folds,
or rugae, covered by gastric pits or foveolae
 A gastric gland consists of three regions:
 1. The pit, or foveola, lined by surface mucous cells.
 2. The neck, containing mucous neck cells, mitotically
active stem cells, and parietal cells.
 3. The body, representing the major length of the gland.
The upper and lower portions of the body contain different
proportions of cells lining the gastric gland.
 The gastric glands proper house five major cell types
 1. Mucous cells, including the surface mucous cells and
the mucous neck cells.
 2. Chief cells, also called peptic cells.
 3. Parietal cells, also called oxyntic cells.
 4. Stem cells.
 5. Gastroenteroendocrine cells, called
enterochromaffin cells because of their staining affinity for
chromic acid salts.
 Mucous cells. The gastric mucosa of the fundus-body
region has two classes of mucus-producing cells :
 1. The surface mucous cells , lining the pits.
 2. The mucous neck cells , located at the opening of the
gastric gland into the pit
 Both cells produce mucins, glycoproteins with high
molecular mass.
 Chief cells predominate in the lower third of the
gastric gland.
 Chief cells are not present in cardiac glands and
are seldom found in the pyloric antrum.
 Pepsinogen-containing secretory granules ( zymogen
granules ) are observed in the apical region of the
cell.
 Parietal cells predominate near the neck and in the
upper segment of the gastric gland and are linked to chief
cells by junctional complexes.
 Parietal cells produce the hydrochloric acid of the
gastric juice and intrinsic factor , a glycoprotein that
binds to vitamin B
 Gastroenteroendocrine cells. The function of the
alimentary tube is regulated by peptide hormones,
produced by gastroenteroendocrine cells,
and neuroendocrine mediators, produced by neurons
 Gastroenteroendocrine cells are members of the APUD
system, so called because of the amine precursor
uptake and decarboxylation property of amino acids
 Because not all the cells accumulate amine precursors,
the designation APUD has been replaced
by DNES (fordiffuse neuroendocrine system ).
 Gastrin is produced by G cells located in the pyloric
antrum
 Somatostatin, produced by adjacent D cells, inhibits the
release of gastrin
 Pyloric glands differ from the cardiac and gastric glands in
the following layers:
 1. The gastric pits, or foveolae, are deeper and extend halfway
through the depth of the mucosa.
 2. Pyloric glands have a larger lumen and are highly branched
 The predominant epithelial cell type of the pyloric gland is
a mucus-secreting cell that resembles the mucous neck
cells of the gastric glands.
 Most of the cell contains large and pale secretory mucus
and secretory granules containing lysozyme, a bacterial
lytic enzyme.

MUCOSA, SUBMUCOSA, MUSCULARIS, AND
SEROSA OF THE STOMACH
 The mucosa consists of loose connective tissue, called
the lamina propria, surrounding cardiac, gastric,
and pyloric glands.
 Reticular and collagen fibers predominate in the
lamina propria, and elastic fibers are rare.
 The cell components of the lamina propria include
fibroblasts, lymphocytes, mast cells, eosinophils, and
a few plasma cells.
 The muscularis mucosae can project thin strands of
muscle cells into the mucosa to facilitate the release
of secretions from the gastric glands.
 The submucosa consists of dense irregular
connective tissue in which collagenous and elastic
fibers are abundant.
 A large number of arterioles, venous plexuses, and
lymphatics are present in the submucosa.
 Also present are the cell bodies and nerve fibers of
the submucosal plexus of Meissner.
 The muscularis (or muscularis externa) of the
stomach consists of three poorly defined layers of
smooth muscle oriented in circular, oblique, and
longitudinal directions.
 At the level of the distal pyloric antrum, the circular
muscle layer thickens to form the annular pyloric
sphincter.
 Contraction of the muscularis is under control of the
autonomic nerve plexuses located between the muscle
layers (myenteric plexus of Auerbach).
 Based on motility functions, the stomach can be
divided into two major regions:
 1. The orad (Latin os [plural ora ], mouth; ad , to; toward
the mouth) portion, consisting of the fundus and part of
the body.
 2. The caudad (Latin cauda , tail; ad, to; toward the
tail) portion, comprising the distal body and the antrum
 The serosa consists of loose connective tissue and
blood vessels of the subserosal plexus
SMALL INTESTINE
 The 4- to 7-meter-long small intestine is divided into
three sequential segments:
 1.Duodenum.
 2.Jejunum.
 3.Ileum.

 The wall of the small intestine consists of four layers

 1. The mucosa.
 2. The submucosa.
 3. The muscularis.
 4. The serosa, or peritoneum.
INTESTINAL WALL
 The intestinal wall shows an increase in the
total surface of the mucosa that reflects the
absorptive function of the small intestine.
 Four degrees of folding amplify the absorptive
surface area of the mucosa
 1. The plicae circulares (circular folds; also known
as the valves of Kerkring ).
 2. The intestinal villi.
 3. The intestinal glands.
 4. The microvilli on the apical surface of the lining
epithelium of the intestinal cells (enterocytes).
HISTOLOGIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE
DUODENUM, JEJUNUM, AND ILEUM

 The duodenum has Brunner's glands in the

submucosa, and the villi are broad and short
(leaflike).
 The jejunum has long villi (finger-like), each
with a prominent lacteal. Brunner's glands are
not present in the submucosa.
 The ileum has shorter finger-like villi. A
relevant feature are the Peyer's patches.
 Paneth cells are found at the base of the glands
of Lieberkühn in the jejunum and ileum.
LARGE INTESTINE

 The large intestine consists of:

 (1) The cecum and associated appendix.
 (2) The ascending, transverse, and descending colon.
 (3) The sigmoid colon.
 (4) The rectum.
 (5) The anus.
 The mucosa of the large intestine is lined by a
simple columnar epithelium formed by
enterocytes and abundant goblet cells.
 Glands of Lieberkühn are observed. They contain
enteroendocrine cells and stem cells. Paneth cells
are not observed (they may be present in the
cecum).
 Three characteristic features of the large
intestine are:
 (1) The taeniae coli, formed by fused bundles of the
outer smooth muscle layer.
 (2) The haustra, periodic saccular structures formed
by the contraction of the taeniae coli and the inner
circular smooth muscle layer.
 (3) The appendix epiploica, aggregates of adipose
tissue covered by the serosa (peritoneum).
 The appendix is a diverticulum of the cecum.
Prominent lymphoid follicles or nodules are seen
in the mucosa and submucosa.
APPENDIKS
 The rectum, the terminal portion of the large
intestine and a continuation of the sigmoid colon,
consists of two regions:
 (1) The upper region, or rectum proper.
 (2) The lower region, or anal canal, which extends from
the anorectal junction to the anus.
 The mucosa of the rectum displays long glands of
Lieberkühn; glands disappear at the level of the anal
canal.
 Anal columns are present in the anal canal. The anal
columns are connected at their base by valves,
corresponding to transverse folds of the mucosa.
Small pockets, called anal sinuses, or crypts, are
found behind the valves.
 Mucous glandular crypts behind the valves secrete
lubricating mucus.
 The anal mucosa is lined by a keratinizing stratified
squamous epithelium and the submucosa contains
sebaceous and sweat glands (circumanal glands).
 The external anal sphincter, formed by skeletal
muscle, is present.
SUMMARY FROM LOWER DIGESTIVE TRACT
TERIMA KASIH
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