The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal A germ layer, occasionally referred to as a germinal epithelium, is a group of cells, formed during animal embryogenesis. Germ layers are particularly pronounced in the vertebrates; however, all animals more complex than sponges produce two or three primary tissue layers (sometimes called primary germ layers). Animals with radial symmetry, like origin, covered in epithelium Epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. It lies on top of connective tissue, and the two layers are separated by a basement membrane, which are involved in absorption Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be absorbed, for instance, into a blood stream. Digestion is a form of catabolism; a break-down of macro food molecules to smaller ones and secretion Secretion is the process of elaborating, releasing, and oozing chemicals, or a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast to excretion, the substance may have a certain function, rather than being a waste product. They line various body cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organs In biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. They are at several places continuous with skin The skin is a soft outer covering of an animal, in particular a vertebrate. Other animal coverings such the arthropod exoskeleton or the seashell have different developmental origin, structure and chemical composition. The adjective cutaneous literally means "of the skin" . In mammals, the skin is the largest organ of the integumentary: at the nostrils A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation. Fish do not breathe through their noses, but they do have two small holes, the mouth The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth, the lips Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be erogenous when used in kissing and other acts of intimacy, the eyelids An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid to "open" the eye. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eyelid features a row of eyelashes, the ears The ear is the organ that detects sound. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species. It not only acts as a receiver for sound, but also plays a major role in the sense of balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system, the genital area, and the anus. The sticky, thick fluid secreted by the mucous membranes and glands A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland) is termed mucus In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozyme), proteins such as lactoferrin, glycoproteins known as mucins that are produced by goblet cells in the mucous membranes and submucosal glands, immunoglobulins, and inorganic salts. This. The term mucous membrane refers to where they are found in the body With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death. The study of the workings of the body is physiology and not every mucous membrane secretes mucus.

Body cavities featuring mucous membrane include most of the respiratory system The respiratory system's function is to allow oxygen exchange through all parts of the body. The space between the alveoli and the capillaries, the anatomy or structure of the exchange system, and the precise physiological uses of the exchanged gases vary depending on organism. In humans and other mammals, for example, the anatomical features of. The glans penis (head of the penis) and glans clitoridis, along with the inside of the prepuce (foreskin) and the clitoral hood, are mucous membranes. The urethra is also a mucous membrane. The secreted mucus traps the pathogens in the body, preventing any further activities of diseases.

Components

• Epithelium Epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body. Many glands are also formed from epithelial tissue. It lies on top of connective tissue, and the two layers are separated by a basement membrane
• Lamina propria The lamina propria is a constituent of the moist linings known as mucous membranes or mucosa, which line various tubes in the body
• Smooth muscle Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle. It is divided into two sub-groups; the single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit smooth muscle tissues, the autonomic nervous system innervates a single cell within a sheet or bundle and the action potential is propagated by gap junctions to neighboring cells such that the/Muscularis mucosa The lamina muscularis mucosae is the thin layer of smooth muscle found in most parts of the gastrointestinal tract, located outside the lamina propria mucosae and separating it from the submucosa/ (GI tract)

Some examples of mucosa

• Buccal mucosa Buccal mucosa is mucous membrane of the inside of the cheek. It is non-keratinised and is continuous with the mucosae of the soft palate, under surface of tongue and the floor of the mouth
• Esophageal mucosa
• Gastric mucosa The gastric mucosa is the mucous membrane layer of the stomach which contains the glands and the gastric pits. In men it is about 1 mm thick and its surface is smooth, soft, and velvety. It consists of epithelium, lamina propria, and the muscularis mucosae
• Intestinal mucosa The Digestive System is the system by which ingested food is acted upon by physical and chemical means to provide the body with absorbable nutrients and to excrete waste products; in mammals the system includes the alimentary canal extending from the mouth to the anus, and the hormones and enzymes assisting in digestion
• Nasal mucosa
• Olfactory mucosa The olfactory mucosa is located in the upper region of the nasal cavity and is made up of the olfactory epithelium and the underlying lamina propria, connective tissue containing fibroblasts, blood vessels, Bowman's glands and bundles of fine axons from the olfactory neurons
• Oral mucosa
• Bronchial mucosa
• Uterine mucosa
• Endometrium The endometrium functions as a lining for the uterus, preventing adhesions between the opposed walls of the myometrium, thereby maintaining the patency of the uterine cavity. During the menstrual cycle or estrous cycle, the endometrium grows to a thick, blood vessel-rich, glandular tissue layer. This represents an optimal environment for the is the mucosa of the uterus The uterus (from Latin "uterus" , plural uteruses or uteri) or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species. It is within the uterus that the fetus
• Penile mucosa

Additional images

See also

• Mucin Mucins are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins produced by epithelial tissues in most metazoans. Mucins' key characteristic is their ability to form gels; therefore they are a key component in most gel-like secretions, serving functions from lubrication to cell signalling to forming chemical barriers. They often take
• Mucocutaneous boundary A mucocutaneous zone is a region of the body in which mucosa transitions to skin. Mucocutaneous zones occur in animals, at the body orifices
• Mucociliary clearance Mucociliary clearance, also referred to as mucociliary apparatus or mucociliar clearance , derived from mucus , cilia (cilia of the tracheal surface epithelium in the respiratory tract ) and clearance describes the self-clearing mechanism of the bronchi
• Mucosal immune system The Mucosal immune system is that portion of the immune system which provides protection to an organism's various mucous membranes from invasion by potentially pathogenic microbes. It provides three main functions: protecting the mucus membrane against infection, preventing the uptake of antigens, microorganisms, and other foreign materials, and

External links

• mucosa at eMedicine eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. The website is searchable by keyword and consists of approximately 6,800 articles, each of which is associated with one of 62 clinical subspecialty textbooks. Collectively the 6,800 articles comprise 62 clinical Dictionary
• Organology at UC Davis The University of California, Davis is a public research university located in Davis, California, and one of ten campuses in the University of California system. Commonly referred to as UC Davis, the school was originally established in 1905 as the University Farm, an extension of UC Berkeley. UC Davis welcomed its first class in 1908. It was Digestive/mammal/system1/system4 - "Mammal, whole system (LM, Low)"
• MeSH Medical Subject Headings is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences; it can also serve as a thesaurus that facilitates searching. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed article database and by NLM's Mucous+Membrane

Categories: Membrane biology |

See Also:

What Links Here:

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Home
• Teenagers: Dictionary
• Teenagers: Videos
• Search Terms
• Teenagers: Answers
• Referrers
• Teenagers: Encyclopedia
• Teenagers
• Teenagers
• Images

Most Popular Pages:

• Search Terms
• Emancipation of Minors
• Teenagers Hot: Videos
• Teenagers: Videos
• Emancipation of Minors: Answers
• Teenagers
• Emancipation of Minors: Encyclopedia
• Mons Pubis: Images
• Puberty: Encyclopedia
• Mucous Membrane: Web Search

Related 'Mucous Membrane' Searches: