Abstract
The ability of gastric mucosa to withstand the corrosive action of acid and pepsin of luminal contents is the most intriguing and yet essential property of the mucosal surface. Although the exact nature of this mechanism remains elusive, the consensus is that the phenomenon is multicomponential in origin. Among the components to which this function is most often ascribed are the viscous and slimy layer of mucus that tenaciously adheres to the epithelial surfaces, the cell membranes of gastric epithelium, and the mucosal blood flow [1–4]. The surface mucus layer exists in a dynamic equilibrium with the preformed intracellular mucus contained within the secretory granules of the surface epithelial and crypt cells, and together these materials form the so-called mucous barrier of the stomach [5, 6]. While the mucus coat provides the first line of mucosal protection, the cell membranes of gastric epithelium along with tight junctions constitute a second line of defense.
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