Proventricular Glands in Fowl

Abstract

Some researchers have already described the fowl proventriculus. However, we believed there was a need for detailed carbohydrate histochemical investigations on the same glands. Moreover, some researchers had erred about the lamina muscularis mucosae. The results of these investigations are as follows. 1. The proventricular glands consist of both superficial and profound gastric glands. 2. The superficial glands are distributed in the lamina propria mucosae while the profound glands exist in the tela submucosa. 3. The superficial glands are simple, branched tubular glands. The columnar glandular cells are arranged in a simple layer and react strongly to PAS, AB (pH 2.5 and 0.5). These appear to be dark purple when they are stained with PAS-AB (pH 2.5). Some other methods have also been tried. 4. Judging from the data 3), the superficial gastric glands contain neutral, weak and strong acids, sulfuric and acid mucopolysaccharides, sialomucin, and II and III neutral mucus type. 5. Glandular cells in the body and basal portions of the superficial gastric glands contain a large number of fine pepsinogen granules. 6. Judging from the data of 3)-5), we believe that the superficial gastric glands are undifferentiated gastric glands and that they are same kinds of glands that are found in mammals. 7. A large number of profound gastric glands fill the tela submucosa. They are compound tubular glands, and are composed of many glandular alveoli. Their columnar glandular cells are arranged in a simple layer. 8. These glandular cells react moderately to PAS, negatively to AB (pH 2.5 and 0.5) and PAS-AB (pH 2.5). Moreover, we observed some other reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)