A 45-year-old woman has come to her physician with complaints of abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, cramping, and bloating. Further history reveals that in addition to the frequent diarrhea, her stools are often bloody. Her physician suspects colitis and orders a colonoscopy which shows colonic mucosal erythema, ulcers, and bleeding. The symptoms of colitis seen in this patient are most likely due to a defect in the secretory properties of which of the following cell types?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Goblet cells are responsible for secreting mucus in the intestines. A defect in these cells can lead to inadequate mucus production, contributing to symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, and bloody stools seen in colitis. Goblet cells are columnar epithelia cells found in the outer mucosal layer of the intestines. Goblet cells synthesize the secretory mucin glycoproteins, as well as several other bioactive molecules that form the highly viscous extracellular layer. The mucus layer of the intestines, particularly of the colon, interacts with, and protects the epithelial layer from gut bacteria. Defective mucus layers results in increased bacterial adhesion to the surface epithelium, increased intestinal permeability, and enhanced susceptibility to colitis. In addition, changes in mucin production and mucin glycan structures are known to occur in cancers of the intestine.

A 45-Year-Old Woman Has Come to Her Physician with Complaints