Morphological studies on the development of the prenatal and postnatal rat stomach 1. Light and scanning electron microscopical observations

랫드의 출생전·후의 위조직 발달에 관한 형태학적 연구 1. 광학현미경적 및 주사전자현미경적 관찰

The present study was designed to investigate the morphological developments of the stomach in the prenatal and postnatal rats. The gastric fundus of 16- to 22-day-old fetuses, neonates, 7-day-old, 14-day-old, 21-day-old, and adult rats were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. Light microscopic studies. 1. In the 16-day-old fetuses, the walls of the gastric fundus were differentiated into epithelium, lamina propria, muscle layer, and serosa. The lamina propria was composed of mesenchymal connective tissue cells with sparse nucleus and their fibers. 2. In the 17-day-old fetuses, the muscular layer were differentiated into the circular and longitudinal muscle layers. 3. The epithelium on the fundus of stomach was stratified columnar cells at 16-, 17- and 18-day-old fetuses, but partly converted into simple columnar epithelium at 19-day-old fetuses. 4. The mucous cells were positive by PAS reaction at the 19-day-old fetuses and then these developed rapidly within 1 or 2 days before birth. 5. In the 20-day -old fetuses, the parietal cells were distinguished from other type cells and these cells were chiefly crowded in the middle parts of the gastric glands after 7-day-old. Scanning electron microscopic studies. 6. The surface of gastric mucosa was covered with forms of the various protrusions by forming villi at the last few days before birth and these protrusion forms were fused and folded each other. 7. The mucosal surface was closely packed by polygonal mucous cells. The openings of gastric glands were seen as slit-like round invagination and were more numerous and increased gradually in depth after the postnatal life. The above findings indicate that prominent changes occurred in the pattern of cellular proliferation in the stomach fundus at the end of gestation. The gastric epithelium had well-defined glands composed of parietal, chief and mucous cells just before the birth. The stomach fundus, therefore, were developed morphologically as those of normal adult at fourteen days after birth.