Histology of the Digestive System
Tristan Angelo M. Calaquian, MD, DPSA
Part III
Accessory Organs of
Digestion
Accessory Organs of Digestion - Contents
• Salivary glands
• Exocrine pancreas
• Liver
• Gallbladder
OVERVIEW
Overview
• Accessory organs of digestion includes the major
salivary glands, the pancreas, the liver and the
gallbladder.
• Products of these organs facilitate transport and
digestion of food within the gastrointestinal tract.
– Moisten and lubricate ingested food.
– Secrete digestive enzymes.
– Secrete innate immune components, such as lysozyme
and lactoferrin.
– Secrete bile.
THE SALIVARY GLANDS
The Salivary Glands
• Exocrine gland in the mouth that produce saliva.
• Three pairs of large salivary glands.
– Parotid gland
– Submandibular gland
– Sublingual gland
• Surrounded by a connective tissue capsule.
• Parenchyma consists of secretory units arranged in
lobules, separated by septa of connective tissue.
The Salivary Glands
• Secretion of each gland is classified as serous,
seromucous, mucous.
– Depending on the content of mucin.
– Saliva coming from the parotid glands is serous and
watery.
– Submandibular and sublingual glands produce a
seromucous secretion.
– Minor salivary glands produce a mucous secretion.
• Saliva is modified by the cells of the duct system
draining the secretory units.
The Salivary Glands
• Three epithelial cell types comprising salivary
secretory units:
– Serous cells – polarized protein-secreting cells, usually
pyramidal in shape, with round nuclei, well-stained RER,
and apical secretory granules.
• Forms spherical units called an acinus.
• Secrete enzymes and other proteins.
– Mucous cells – columnar in shape, more compressed
basal nuclei.
• Contain apical granules with hydrophilic mucins.
• Organized as cylindrical tubules.
The Salivary Glands
• Three epithelial cell types comprising salivary
secretory units:
– Myoepithelial cells – found inside the basal lamina
surrounding the acini, tubules and the proximal ends of
the duct system.
• Small, flattened cells with contractile processes extending
around the associated secretory unit or duct.
• Facilitates movement of secretory product into and
through the ducts.
The Salivary Glands
• In the intralobular duct system, secretory acini and
tubules empty into short intercalated ducts lined by
cuboidal epithelial cells.
• Several of these ducts join to form a striated duct.
– Cells of the striated ducts are columnar and have many
infoldings of their basolateral membrane with numerous
mitochondria.
• Appear as faint basal striations radiating towards the
nuclei.
– Reabsorb Na+ ions from the initial secretion.
The Salivary Glands
• Plasma cells in the connective tissue surrounding the
small intralobular ducts release IgA.
– Forms a defense against pathogens in the oral cavity.
• Ducts from each lobule converge and drain into
interlobular excretory ducts with increasing size and
thicker connective tissue layers.
– Unusual lining epithelium – simple cuboidal or columnar
and pseudostratified epithelia.
• May reflect composition of cells with many diverse functions.
– Epithelium becomes nonkeratinized stratified squamous
epithelium before emptying into the oral cavity.
The Salivary Glands
• Vessels and nerves enter the large salivary glands at a
hilum and gradually branch into the lobules.
• Capillaries surround each secretory units and provide
the fluid important for saliva production.
• Parasympathetic stimulation, elicited by the smell or
taste of food, promotes watery secretion.
• Sympathetic stimulation inhibits such secretion and
produces potential for dry mouth.
The Salivary Glands – Features Unique to
Each Major Glands
• Parotid glands – located in each cheek near the ear.
– Branched acinar or tubuloacinar gland.
– Exclusively serous gland.
• Secrete abundant α-amylase – initiates carbohydrate
hydrolysis..
• Also secreted proline-rich proteins with antimicrobial and
other protective properties.
The Salivary Glands – Features Unique to
Each Major Glands
• Submandibular glands – produces two-thirds of all
saliva.
– Have branched tubuloacinar glands, primarily serous
acini, but many mixed tubuloacinar secretory units.
• Serous cells occur distally on short mucous tubules and
often assume a crescent-shaped arrangement called a
serous demilune.
• Secrete lysozyme in addition to α-amylase and proline-rich
proteins.
The Salivary Glands – Features Unique to
Each Major Glands
• Sublingual glands – smallest of the major glands.
– Also branched tubuloacinar glands.
– Secretory tubules of mucous cells predominate.
– Main product of the gland is mucous.
– The few serous cells present add amylase and lysozyme
to the secretion.
THE EXOCRINE PANCREAS
The Exocrine Pancreas
• The pancreas is a mixed exocrine-endocrine gland that
produces digestive enzymes and hormones.
• Elongated retroperitoneal organ, with a large head
near the duodenum and more narrow body and tail
regions that extend to the left.
• Has a thin capsule of connective tissue, septa extends
to separate the parenchyma into lobules.
• Endocrine function is performed by the pancreatic
islets.
The Exocrine Pancreas
• Digestive enzymes are produced by cells of serous
acini in the larger exocrine portion of the pancreas.
– Histologically resembles the parotid gland but lacks
striated ducts.
– Each pancreatic acinus consists of several serous cells
surrounding a very small lumen, without myoepithelial
cells.
– Acinar cells are polarized, rounded basal nuclei and
numerous zymogen granules apically.
The Exocrine Pancreas
• Digestive enzymes are produced by cells of serous
acini in the larger exocrine portion of the pancreas.
– Each acinus drained by a short intercalated duct of
simple squamous or low cuboidal epithelium.
• Secrete a large volume of fluid rich in HCO 3—.
• Merge with intralobular ducts and larger interlobular
ducts before joining the main pancreatic duct.
– Initial cells of these small ducts extend into the lumen of
the acinus as small pale-staining centroacinar cells –
unique to the pancreas.
The Pancreas
• Approximately 1.5 L of alkaline pancreatic fluid is
secreted into the duodenum.
– Bicarbonate content helps neutralize stomach pH for
optimal activity of the pancreatic enzymes.
• Digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas includes:
– Proteases – secreted as inactive zymogens
– α-amylase
– Lipase
– Nuclease
The Pancreas
• Exocrine secretion in the pancreas is regulated mainly
through two polypeptide hormones.
– Cholecystokinin (CCK) – stimulates enzyme secretion by
the acinar cells.
– Secretin – promotes water and bicarbonate secretion by
the duct cells.
• Parasympathetic nerve fibers also stimulate secretion
of both the acinar cells and duct cells.
THE LIVER
The Liver
• Largest internal organ.
• Located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen.
• Divided into lobes:
– Two major lobes: right and left lobes.
– Two smaller inferior lobes: caudate and quadrate lobes.
• Most of the lobes are covered by a thin capsule and
mesothelium of the visceral peritoneum (Glisson
capsule).
– Thickens at the porta hepatis, where the hepatic artery,
portal vein and lymphatics enter.
The Liver
• The main digestive function of the liver is the
production of bile.
– Required for emulsification, hydrolysis and uptake of
fats in the duodenum.
• Major interface between the digestive system and the
blood.
• Hepatocytes, the key cells of the liver, have a wide
range of function.
The Liver – Hepatocytes and the Hepatic
Lobules
• The liver parenchyma is organized as thousands of
small hepatic lobules.
– Formed by hundreds of irregular plates of hepatocytes
arranged radially around a small central vein.
– Peripherally, each lobule has three to six portal areas
with more fibrous connective tissue, containing three
structures comprising the portal triad:
• Portal venule – branch of the portal vein, carries nutrient-
rich, oxygen-poor blood.
• Arteriole – branch of the hepatic artery, supplies O2.
• Bile ductules – lined by cuboidal epithelium, branches of
the bile conducting system
The Liver – Hepatocytes and the Hepatic
Lobules
• Between the plates of hepatocytes in a hepatic lobule
are the vascular sinusoids.
– Emerge from the portal veins and hepatic artery and
converge on the lobule’s central vein.
– In contact with the basolateral surface of the
hepatocytes.
– Lined by discontinuous, fenestrated endothelial cells.
• Allows plasma to fill a narrow perisinusoidal space (space
of Disse) and directly bathe the microvilli projecting from
hepatocytes.
• Facilitates exchange of nutrients, proteins and toxins
between the hepatocytes and blood.
The Liver – Hepatocytes and the Hepatic
Lobules
• Two other functionally important cells found with the
sinusoids of hepatic lobules:
– Kupffer cells – found within the sinusoid lining.
Phagocytic and antigen-presenting cells of the liver.
– Hepatic stellate cells or Ito cells – mesenchymal cells,
store vitamin A and other fat-soluble vitamins.
• Differentiate into myofibroblasts after liver injury and
produce extracellular matrix components and cytokines.
The Liver – Hepatocytes and the Hepatic
Lobules
• The apical surfaces of the hepatocytes form the bile
canaliculi.
– Involved in exocrine secretion of bile.
– Empties into the bile canals of Hering.
• Composed of cuboidal epithelial cells called
cholangiocytes.
• Merge into bile ductules of the portal triad.
THE GALLBLADDER
The Gallbladder
• The bile produced by the hepatocytes flow through
the bile canaliculi → bile ductules → bile ducts.
• These structures gradually merge, forming a
converging network that ultimately forms the
common hepatic duct.
– The common hepatic duct merges with the cystic duct
from the gallbladder, forming the common bile duct.
– The hepatic, cystic and common bile ducts are lined
with a mucous membrane with simple columnar
epithelial layer of cholangiocytes.
The Gallbladder
• These structures gradually merge, forming a
converging network that ultimately forms the
common hepatic duct.
– The lamina propria and submucosa of these ducts are
relatively thin, with mucous glands in some areas of the
cystic duct, surrounded by a thin muscularis.
– The muscle layer becomes thicker near the duodenum.
• Forms a sphincter in the duodenum (sphincter of Oddi)
that regulates bile flow into the small intestine.
The Gallbladder
• The gallbladder is a hollow, pear-shaped organ
attached to the lower surface of the liver.
– Store and concentrate bile.
– The wall consists of:
• Mucosa – composed of simple columnar epithelium and
lamina propria. Features numerous folds
• Muscularis – bundles of muscle fibers oriented in several
directions.
• Adventitia/Serosa – outermost layer.
END OF LECTURE
References
1. Mescher AL. Junquiera’s Basic Histology 14th edition.
McGraw Hill Education. 2016
2. Ovalle WK, Nahirney PC. Netter’s Essential of
Histology 2nd edition. Saunders Elsevier. 2013
