Simple columnar epithelium
and loose connective tissue form the surface
of the stomach mucosa.
The
epithelial tissue layer of the stomach
provides protection against digestion by producing sticky mucus. The
epithelial surface contains many shallow indentations, called gastric pits,
which open at the bottom into gastric glands (not shown here).
The connective tissue layer of this or any mucosal
surface is called lamina propria.
Lamina propria is a loose connective tissue with a relatively high proportion
of cells. The defensive cells of the immune system are more numerous
here, close to a vulnerable surface, than in ordinary loose connective tissue
deeper in the body. Capillaries are usually abundant in lamina propria.
