Summary
A microdissection technique used previously in the small intestine has been adapted for the rat colon in order to determine morphometric data and to calculate surface parameters in various proximal and distal segments (caecum, ascending and descending colon, rectum) of normal colonic mucosa.
From the caecum to the rectum there was a gradual significant decrease in the diameter of the middle portions of the crypts, in the number of crypts per unit area and the inner intestinal circumference, as well as in the total mucosal surface per mm intestinal length and the surface of all crypts per unit area. However, there was an increase in the surface of the lining epithelium between the crypts from the caecum to the rectum. These findings are of importance when interpreting alterations in colonie function in terms of segmental changes in the mucosal architecture.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arhan P, Devroede G, Jehannin B, Lanza M, Faverdin C, Domic C, Persoz B, Tétreault L, Perey B, Pellerin D (1981) Segmentai colonic transit time. Dis Colon Rectum 24:625–629 Clarke RM (1970) Mucosal architecture and epithelial cell production rate in the small intestine of the albino rat. J Anat 107:519–529
Davis GR, Santa Ana CA, Morawski SG, Fordtran JS (1982) Permeability characteristics of human jejunum, ileum, proximal colon and distal colon: Results of potential difference measurements and unidirectional fluxes. Gastroenterology 83:844–850
Edmonds CJ, Marriott J (1968) Electrical potential and short circuit current of an in vitro prepration of rat colon mucosa. J Physiol 194:479–494
Filipe MI (1975) Mucous secretion in rat colonic mucosa during carcinogenesis induced by dimethylhydrazine. A morphological and histochemical study. Br J Cancer 32:60–77
Fromm M, Hegel U (1978) Segmental heterogenity of epithelial transport in rat large intestine. Pflügers Arch 378:71–83
Gutschmidt S, Sandforth F, Menge H, Riecken EO (1982a) Adaptive response of aand ß-glucosidase kinetics along the villi of rat self-filling jejunal blind loops. GUT23:376–381
Gutschmidt S, Kautz U, Loeschke K (1982b), Morphological response of the colon the ilial and combined ileocaecal resection in the rat. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 6:97–98
Gutschmidt S (1983) Die “in situ” Charakterisieirung von Enzymen des intestinalen Resorptionsepithels. Methodik und Befunde im Korrelation zu morphometrischen Parametern der Mucosaarchitektur. Habilitationsschrift, Fachbereich Klinikum Steglitz der Freien Universität Berlin
Lindström CG, Rosengren JE, Fork FT (1979) Colon of the rat. An anatomic, histologic and radiographic investigation. Acta Radiol Diagn 20:523–536
Loeschke K, Welter HF, Fabritius J, Hatz H (1981) Adaptation of the colon following resection of the small intestine in rats: In: Junghanns H (ed) Chirurgisches Forum für experimentelle und klinische Forschung, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 157–161
Lorenz-Meyer H, Köhn R, Riecken EO (1976) Vergleich verschiedener morphometrischer Methoden zur Erfassung der Schleimhautoberfläche des Rattendünndarmes und deren Beziehung zur Funktion. Histochemistry 49:123–129
Menge H, Robinson JWL (1983) Colonie adaption. In: Fernandez LB (ed) Colon: Structure and function, Plenum Press, New York London, 253–273
Nijkamp FP, Ree JM van (1980) Effects of endorphins on different parts of the gastrointestinal tract of rat and guinea-pig in vitro. Br J Pharmacol 68:599–606
Scarpello JHB, Cary BA, Sladen GE (1978) Effects of ileal and caecal resection on the colon of the rat. Clin Sci Mol Med 54:241–249
Shamsuddin AKM, Trump BF (1981) Colon epithelium. I. Light microscopic, histochemical and ultrastructural features of normal colon epithelium of male fischer 344 rats. JNCI 66:375–388
Specht W (1977) Morphology of the intestinal wall. Its mucous membrane under normal and experimental conditions. In: Kramer M, Lauterbach F (eds) Intestinal permeation, Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam
Sunter JP, Wright NA, Appleton DR (1978) Cell population kinetics in the epithelium of the colon in the male rat. Virchows Arch [Cell Pathol] 26:275–287
Sunter JP, Watson AJ, Wright NA, Appleton DR (1979) Cell proliferation at different sites along the length of the rat colon. Virchows Arch [Cell Pathol] 32:75–87
Vengesa PB, Hopfer U (1979) Cytochemical localization of alkaline phosphatase and Na+ pump sites in adult rat colon. J Histochem Cytochem 27:1231–1235
Wattenberg LW, Leong JL, Strand PJ (1962) Benzpyren hydroxylase activity in the gastrointestinal tract. Cancer Research 22:1120–1125
Watts RW, Wheldrake JF (1976) Aldosterone induced changes in RNA synthesis in rat intestine. J Steroid Biochem 7:263–266
Will PC, Lebowitz JL, Hopfer U (1980) Induction of amiloride-sensitive sodium transport in the rat colon by mineralocorticoids. Am J Physiol 238: F261-F268
Yan WM, Makhlouf GM (1975) Comparison of transport mechanisms in isolated ascending and descending rat colon. Am J Physiol 228:191–195
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant Gu 184/2-2
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gutschmidt, S., Sandforth, F. & Riecken, E.O. Segmental variations in the surface architecture of the normal rat colonic mucosa. Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathol 43, 349–354 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02932967
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02932967