Gastric glands and cells

Anatomically, stomach can be divided into 3 parts from above to below:

1. Cardiac
2. Fundus and body/corpus
3. Pyloric/Antral

Gastric pits deepen as we move below from cardiac to pyloric glands.

Mucus secreting cells: Present in all 3 glands – cardiac, fundic and pyloric but predominate in cardiac and pyloric glands.

Pyloric glands have 1 more cell – G cells which secrete Gastrin.

Fundic glands (gastric glands of fundus and body) can be divided into 3 parts from above (towards gastric pit) to downwards:

1. Isthmus (Outer zone) – Mucus cells and Stem cells
2. Neck (Middle zone) – Parietal (Oxyntic) cells
3. Fundus (Basal zone) – Chief (Zymogen) cells and Enteroendocrine cells (Mnemonic: ECF)

Parietal (Oxyntic) cells secrete:

1. Hydrochloric acid
2. Intrinsic factor
3. Ghrelin

Mnemonic: Parietal cells are Pink (Eosinophilic).

Chief (Zymogen/Peptic) cells secrete:

1. Pepsin
2. Gastric lipase

Mnemonic: Basal cheif cells are Blue (Basophilic). These have a lot of rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER).

Enteroendocrine cells:

• G cells = Gastrin
• D cells = Somatostatin
• ECL cells = Histamine