Mucus, epithelial mucins and cytoprotection Epithelial mucins are widely accepted to play cytoprotective roles in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the number and nature of these complex glycoproteins is only just beginning to emerge. We aimed to identify the mucins in biopsies from human small intestine and colon in health and disease, by raising specific antisera and studying the biosynthe...

Rumen epithelium is a parakeratotic, stratified squamous epithelium which functions in metabolism, absorption, and protection . In previous light microscope histochemical studies (1, 3) and electron microscope studies (2) on this tissue, phenomena characteristic for both mucus-producing and keratinizing epithelia were described . The presence of mucus was demonstrated histochemically (1, 3) by ...

Mucus, a complex composed primarily of carbohydrates, is released in similar quantities by scleractinian warmand cold-water reef corals, and can function as an important carrier of organic material from corals to a range of consumers, microbes in particular. However, information about mucus chemical composition is rare for warm-water corals and non-existent for cold-water corals. This study the...

Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni colonize the stomach and intestinal mucus, respectively. Using a combination of mucus-secreting cells, purified mucins, and a novel mucin microarray platform, we examined the interactions of these two organisms with mucus and mucins. H. pylori and C. jejuni bound to distinctly different mucins. C. jejuni displayed a striking tropism for chicken gastr...

Nanoparticles larger than the reported mesh-pore size range (10-200 nm) in mucus have been thought to be much too large to undergo rapid diffusional transport through mucus barriers. However, large nanoparticles are preferred for higher drug encapsulation efficiency and the ability to provide sustained delivery of a wider array of drugs. We used high-speed multiple-particle tracking to quantify...

Airway mucus overproduction is one of the most common symptoms of asthma that causes severe clinical outcomes in patients. Despite the effectiveness of general asthma therapies, specific treatments that prevent mucus overproduction in asthma patients remain lacking. Recent studies have found that activation of GABAA receptors (GABAAR) is important for promoting mucus oversecretion in lung airwa...

Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and mono-hydroxy acid products of arachidonic acid were measured in mucus of freshly recovered morning stools of a patient with an exacerbation of ulcerative proctocolitis. Eicosanoids in ether extracts were separated by high performance liquid chromatography and amounts determined by radioimmunoassay. Four hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids were detected, of which the ...

Off the coast of Vietnam, two recent events seem to have contributed death coral reefs: rapid invasion a small marine snail called Drupella, and emergence disease that spreads over corals. We decided investigate whether there is link between corals, snails, disease. analyzed mucus covering surface both in healthy corals those infested by Drupella snails. Mucus produced usually full helpful micr...

BACKGROUND Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is caused by a deficiency of pulmonary surfactant. Alveolar collapse and obstruction of conducting airways leads to mismatch of ventilation and perfusion and profound hypoxemia. We postulated that surfactant deficiency could alter the properties of respiratory mucus in such a way that it would be poorly cleared from airways and promote air...