title: Histochemistry of mucins of pig intestinal secretory epithelial cells before and after weaning.
abstract: Two histochemical staining techniques, Alcian blue/PAS and high-iron-diamine/Alcian blue, which differentiated neutral from sulphated and sialylated acid mucins were applied to sections of duodenum, ileum, caecum, colon and rectum from pigs aged one day, 3 weeks and 10 weeks. In each age group, sulphated-acid mucins predominated at all sites, particularly in the large intestine. In both the small and the large intestine, non-sulphated mucins occurred mainly at the bases of the crypts. Neutral mucins occurred in a few goblet cells in crypts and villi, either alone or together with acid mucins; neutral mucins increased away from the bases of the crypts. No changes were noted in the caecum, colon or rectum of pigs one, two, 5 or 13 days after weaning onto a diet containing soya protein. In the small intestine, there was a transient increase in the numbers of goblet cells in the crypts and villi, a relative increase in sulphated and a decrease in non-sulphated acid mucins and a change in the distribution of sulphated mucins in the crypts. No change in proportions of neutral and acid mucins was detected.
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Science, Langford, U.K.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Blazquez
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bourne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003106:Colon / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007420:Intestine, Large / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D007422:Intestines / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology*; D009077:Mucins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012007:Rectum / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology; D013552:Swine; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D009077:Mucins