Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa occurs commonly in aged Japanese patients and has been discussed in relation to the high incidence of gastric cancer in Japanese. Ciliated cells in the gastric mucosa have frequently been found in association with intestinal metaplasia in the pyloric gland and rarely in the cardiac gland in many Japanese patients, and exceptionally in one Chinese and in one Swedish patient. Electron microscopic examination of 12 Japanese patients has revealed that these structures are not metaplastic stereocilia, but true cilia. Ciliated cells have been found in the basal part of the gastric glands and never in the surface epithelium. The fine structure of the gastric cilia was almost the same as that of normal respiratory cilia. However, in the gastric cilia, most dynein arms were inconspicuous even after tannic acid fixation, indicating that ciliary beating of the gastric cilia is problematic. Abnormal cilia and basal bodies also were found. Ciliated cells have always occurred in association with intestinal metaplasia, therefore this phenomenon might be a type of metaplasia and is named “ciliated metaplasia” of the gastric mucosa.

胃粘膜上皮纤毛细胞一例报告

Ultrastructure of metaplastic ciliated cells in human stomach.

In the gastric mucosa of Japanese patients, ciliated cells were found in association with intestinal metaplasia. The cells occurred frequently in the pyloric mucosa of nearly half of the cases examined but rarely in the cardiac mucosa of total 12 cases, but never adjacent to the chief cells of gastric glands. The ciliated cells were always found in the basal part of cardiac and pyloric glands, but never in the surface or in the foveolar epithelium. Furthermore, ciliated cells containing a few small mucus granules and simultaneously possessing numerous cilia and basal bodies were noted. Ciliated cells in the gastric mucosa have been found mainly in elderly Japanese patients, but were also observed exceptionally in one Chinese, two Swedes and one American. These ciliated cells are not present in the normal human gastric and intestinal mucosa, and therefore a new term, “ciliated metaplasia”, is proposed for their occurrence. Acta Pathol Jpn 40: 98–106, 1990.

Ciliated cells in the human gastric mucosa. Evidence of metaplastic change.

In a study on 12 Japanese patients, many ciliated cells were found in the human cardiac mucosa in association with intestinal metaplasia. Two cases were studied by electron microscopy, which revealed the presence of cilia and basal bodies in the apical portion of the mucosal cells. The ciliated cells sometimes contained prominent autophagosomes in the supranuclear region and abundant filaments in the cytoplasm, but neither mucus nor neuroendocrine granules were evident. Ciliated cells have commonly been found in human pyloric mucosa showing intestinal metaplastic changes in aged Japanese patients. In the cardiac mucosa, the incidence of ciliated cells was relatively low. Ultrastructural study revealed that the metaplastic gastric cilia were almost the same as those of respiratory cilia. The presence of ciliated cells in the adult human gastric mucosa was always associated with intestinal metaplasia; therefore our interpretation is that this is a type of metaplasia, for which we propose a new term, "ciliated metaplasia" of the stomach.

胃粘膜上皮纤毛细胞一例报告

Citations

Ultrastructure of metaplastic ciliated cells in human stomach.

Ciliated cells in the human gastric mucosa. Evidence of metaplastic change.

Ciliated Cells in the Cardiac Gland of the Human Stomach Evidence of Metaplastic Change

Ultrastructure of the mucus-negative vacuolated cells in the metaplastic pyloric gland of the human stomach.