Gastric pits are indentations in the stomach

Stomach

The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...

 which denote entrances to the tubular shaped gastric glands. They are deeper in the pylorus

Pylorus

The pylorus is the region of the stomach that connects to the duodenum . It is divided into two parts:* the pyloric antrum, which connects to the body of the stomach.* the pyloric canal, which connects to the duodenum....

 than they are in the other parts of the stomach. The human stomach has several million of these pits which dot the surface of the lining epithelium. Surface mucous cells line the pits themselves but give way to a series of other types of cells which then line the glands themselves.

Gastric juice

Gastric juice is secreted from gastric glands, which are located in narrow tube like structures called gastric pits. Gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid

Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....

, pepsinogen and mucus in a healthy adult. Hydrochloric acid is secreted by parietal cells, pepsinogen is secreted by gastric chief cell

Gastric chief cell

A gastric chief cell is a cell in the stomach that releases pepsinogen, gastric lipase and Chymosin...

s and mucus is secreted by mucus neck cells.

External links

- "Digestive System: Alimentary Canal: esophageal/stomach junction"

• Slideshow at trinity.edu
• Slide at pathology.iupui.edu
• Slide at ucsd.edu
• Slide at nhmccd.edu