The distribution of mucous secreting cells in the gastrointestinal tracts of three small rodents from Saudi Arabia: Acomys dimidiatus , Meriones rex and Meriones libycus

Johnson, Olga; Marais, Sumine; Walters, Jacklynn; Merwe, E.L. van der; Alagaili, Abdulaziz N.; Mohammed, Osama B.; Bennett, Nigel C.; Kotzé, Sanet H.

doi:10.1016/j.acthis.2015.12.003

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Both neutral and acid mucins aid in the formation of the intestinal biofilm, but as the large intestine is host to various bacterial colonies, it is beneficial to have more acid mucins in the distal intestine as they contribute to the viscosity of the protective intestinal mucus layer (Macfarlane & Dillon, ). The dominance of mixed (acid and neutral) mucin‐secreting cells in the intestines of all four species in the present study is similar to that found in 11 mammal species (Sheahan & Jervis, ), as well as insectivorous (Boonzaier et al, ) and herbivorous (Johnson et al, ) small mammals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…These neutral mucins in the stomach and proximal intestine are to thought to protect epithelia from acidic stomach secretions (Allen et al, ; Bhide, ; Krause, ). Sialomucin‐secreting cells were present in the mucous neck cells and surface mucous cells of the gastric pits in all four species of the present study and is similar to that observed in the omnivorous rodent, Meriones lybicus (Johnson et al, ), in several other rodent species (Sheahan & Jervis, ) and in humans (Filipe & Fenger, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Johnson et al () described mixed (acid and neutral) mucin‐secreting cells in pyloric glands of three herbivorous rodent species while Boonzaier et al () observed mixed mucins throughout the gastric glands of the insectivorous A. hottentotus (Hottentot golden mole). These findings are correspond to the mixed mucin‐secreting cells observed in the surface mucous cells of the pylorus of C. pumilus and the cardia of R. hardwickii , N. thebaica , and A. tridens in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Earlier studies on bat GIT mucin histochemistry were semi‐quantitative and/or focused on lectin mucin histochemistry (Scillitani et al, ). This study therefore aims to detail the morphology of the four species and determine if mucin cell distribution differs, both from each other and from other insectivorous mammals as previously described (Boonzaier et al, ; Johnson et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) morphology of various insectivorous mammals (Boonzaier, Van der Merwe, Bennett, & Kotzé, 2013a, 2013bJohnson et al, 2016;Myrcha, 1967) including insectivorous bats (Ishikawa, Matoba, Tanaka, & Ono, 1985;Makanya & Maina, 1994) has been described. According to Stevens and Hume (1995), the intestinal tracts of insectivores are short in comparison to carnivores and herbivores (Korn, 1992) and the simplicity of the stomach and lack of a cecum is thought to be linked to easily digestible proteins that constitute their diet (Hume, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comparative morphological and histological study of the gastrointestinal tract of four insectivorous bat species: Asellia tridens, Chaerephon pumilus, Nycteris thebaica, Rhinopoma hardwickii

Aylward

Beselaar

Alagaili

et al. 2019

Journal of Morphology

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Various studies address the morphology of the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of insectivorous bat species. However, detailed morphometric studies including mucin histochemistry are scarce. This study compares various GIT measurements as well as the quantification of intestinal mucin secreting cells in four insectivorous bat species representing four different families of Chiroptera. Alcian blue/Periodic acid Schiff's stain was used to differentiate between acid and neutral mucin‐secreting cells while the Aldehyde fuchsin/Alcian blue stain further differentiated between two acid mucins, namely sialo‐, and sulphomucins. The number of cells was quantified and statistically analysed. All species had a simple GIT morphology represented by a simple, completely glandular stomach and the absence of a cecum. The exception was R. hardwickii, where a small cecum was observed which had histological mucosal features of both the small and large intestine. In R.hardwickii, distal to the cecum, typical colonic mucosal features such as the absence of villi and an abundance of goblet cells were observed. In all four species, the total number of goblet cells increased from the proximal to the distal intestinal regions. Mixed (acid and neutral) mucins dominated the entire GIT of all species. Neutral mucin‐secreting cells were observed in the gastric pylorus and proximal intestinal regions in all species. Brunner's glands stained positive for neutral mucins. Exclusively acid mucin‐secreting cells were seen in the distal intestinal regions of all species except N. thebaica. Sulphomucin‐secreting cells were the most prominent acid mucin cell‐type towards the distal intestine. The distribution of different mucin secreting cells indirectly provides information regarding the quality of the intestinal biofilm in the species studied.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%