The adherent gastrointestinal mucus gel layer: thickness and physical state in vivo

TLDR

In vitro studies have reported divergent results on the thickness and appearance of the gastrointestinal mucus layer. The study used an in vivo model to examine mucus gel thickness along the gastrointestinal tract from stomach to colon. Inactin‑anesthetized rat tissues were mounted luminal side up for intravital microscopy, and mucus thickness was measured with a micropipette before and after suction‑removal of mucus. The mucus layer was translucent, continuous, and thickest in the colon (~830 µm) and thinnest in the jejunum (~123 µm), and after suction removal a firmly adherent layer remained (80–154 µm in stomach regions, ~116 µm in colon, ~20 µm or absent in small intestine) and mucus thickness increased continuously, confirming a two‑layer structure of loosely adherent and firmly attached mucus.

Abstract

Divergent results from in vitro studies on the thickness and appearance of the gastrointestinal mucus layer have previously been reported. With an in vivo model, we studied mucus gel thickness over time from stomach to colon. The gastrointestinal tissues of Inactin-anesthetized rats were mounted luminal side up for intravital microscopy. Mucus thickness was measured with a micropipette before and after mucus removal by suction. The mucus layer was translucent and continuous; it was thickest in the colon (∼830 μm) and thinnest in the jejunum (∼123 μm). On mucus removal, a continuous, firmly adherent mucus layer remained attached to the epithelial surface in the corpus (∼80 μm), antrum (∼154 μm), and colon (∼116 μm). In the small intestine, this layer was very thin (∼20 μm) or absent. After mucus removal, there was a continuous increase in mucus thickness with the highest rate in the colon and the lowest rate in the stomach. In conclusion, the adherent gastrointestinal mucus gel in vivo is continuous and can be divided into two layers: a loosely adherent layer removable by suction and a layer firmly attached to the mucosa.