Summary
Human oesophageal submucosal glands may be regularly demonstrated by first exposing the oesophageal lumen to toluidine blue which reveals the duct ostia. Four types of cell were identified in the glands-mucous, subsidiary or serous, myoepithelial and oncocytes. The mucous cell contained neutral, sialated and sulphated mucins. The subsidiary cells held smaller amounts of neutral and sialated mucin, plus fucosyl residues. No lipids were detectable histochemically. ATP-ase and alkaline phosphatase were shown in the capillary endothelium. The duct epithelium showed some nonspecific esterase activity not sensitive to E-600. By immunoperoxidase techniques, the duct epithelium was shown to be rich in cytokeratin. The subsidiary cells contained lysozyme, CEA and pepsinogen. B lymphocytes composed most of the periductular lymphoid aggregates, although some T cells were found there and also intraepithelially and subepithelially in relation to the stratitied squamous epithelium lining the oesophagus. Langerhans' cells were also demonstrated intraepithelially by several techniques.
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Hopwood, D., Coghill, G. & Sanders, D.S.A. Human oesophageal submucosal glands. Histochemistry 86, 107–112 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00492353
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00492353