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Colon, mucosa, PAS stain for mucus

Notes

The mucosa of the colon is characterized by straight crypts with no villi.

This specimen has been stained with PAS (per-iodic acid, Schiff), so that mucus in goblet cells appears red.  Note that epithelial nuclei are more numerous than the mucus blobs, indicating that absorptive cells remain the predominant cell type in colon epithelium (as also in the small intestine), even though they are crowded by goblets and hence inconspicuous.

In routine H&E stained preparations, the mucus in goblet cells appears as clear "bubbles" in crypt epithelium.  

 


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Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu

SIUC / School of Medicine / Anatomy / David King

https://histology.siu.edu/erg/GI111b.htm
Last updated:  27 May 2022 / dgk