| Abstract: | Histotopography of colon endocrine cells in the mucosal epithelium of adult rabbits, white rats and man was studied by light microscopy. The number of endocrinocytes in rabbit and human colon was seen to increase towards the rectum, which reflects a general tendency in mammals. In the appendices of the investigated subjects, essential distinctions in endocrine cell contents were revealed. So, in rabbits, the maximum quantity of endocrine cells (135 +/- 15 cell/mm2) was observed in the appendix if compared to other parts of the colon (except rectum), whereas in the human appendix, the number of endocrine cells is minimal (13 +/- 3 cell/mm2). In all parts of rabbit and rat caeca endocrine cell contents are similar to those in the nearby part of the colon, which suggested that according to the given parameter the caecum shows no specifity. |
