Mucous membrane
This article about biology may be excessively human-centric. (May 2022) |
Mucous membrane | |
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gastric antrum, showing the mucosa of the stomach | |
Details | |
Identifiers | |
Latin | tunica mucosa |
MeSH | D009092 |
TA98 | A05.4.01.015 A05.3.01.029 A05.5.01.029 A05.6.01.009 A05.6.01.010 A05.7.01.006 A05.7.01.007 A05.8.02.009 A06.1.02.017 A06.2.09.019 A06.3.01.010 A06.4.02.029 A08.1.05.011 A08.2.01.007 A08.3.01.023 A09.1.02.013 A09.1.04.011 A09.2.03.012 A09.3.05.010 A09.3.06.004 A09.4.02.015 A09.4.02.020 A09.4.02.029 A15.3.02.083 |
Anatomical terms of microanatomy] |
This article is one of a series on the |
Gastrointestinal wall |
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A mucous membrane or mucosa is a
Structure
The mucosa is composed of one or more layers of
Mucous membranes line the digestive, respiratory and reproductive tracts and are the primary barrier between the external world and the interior of the body; in an adult human the total surface area of the mucosa is about 400 square meters while the surface area of the skin is about 2 square meters.[4]: 1 Along with providing a physical barrier, they also contain key parts of the immune system and serve as the interface between the body proper and the microbiome.[2]: 437
Examples
Some examples include:
- Endometrium: the mucosa of the uterus
- Gastric mucosa
- Intestinal mucosa
- Nasal mucosa
- Olfactory mucosa
- Oral mucosa
- Penile mucosa
- Respiratory mucosa
- Vaginal mucosa
- Frenulum of tongue
- Anal canal
- Conjunctiva
Development
Developmentally, the majority of mucous membranes are of
Function
One of its functions is to keep the tissue moist (for example in the respiratory tract, including the mouth and nose).
Nutrition
See also
References
- ^ "Mucous membrane". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ OCLC 56661571.
- OCLC 643969757.
- OCLC 1036250938.
- ^ "Chapter 25. Germ Layers and Their Derivatives - Review of Medical Embryology Book - LifeMap Discovery". discovery.lifemapsc.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
- ISBN 9780470959732.
- ISBN 9781455727919.
- PMID 27228303.
- ^ "Vitamin A". MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. February 2, 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2017.