A histocytochemical study of mucus glycoproteins or mucins in the intestinal tract of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Abstract

The distribution of neutral mucins, sialomucins and sulphomucins was determined histochemically in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). The techniques used were periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) , alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff (AB-PAS), high-iron-diamine/alcian blue (HID-AB), alcian blue at varying pH solutions and alcian blue at high temperature after methylation and saponification. Acid mucins appear to dominate neutral mucins, the latter decreasing toward the large intestine. Sulphomucins and sialomucins occurred in almost equal amounts throughout the intestinal tract, with a slight decrease of sialomucins toward the colon.