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When is the fetus first capable of gastric acid, intrinsic factor and gastrin secretion?
1Academic Unit of Paediatrics and Child Health, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
Insights
The developing human stomach can produce gastric acid and gastrin from the second trimester. Parietal cell activity is present in fetuses but limited in infants.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Developmental Biology
- Histology
Background:
- Limited data exist on gastric parietal and G cell activity in immature infants.
- Understanding early gastric function is crucial for neonatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and location of parietal and G cells in the developing human stomach.
- To assess the potential for gastric acid and gastrin production in fetuses and infants.
Main Methods:
- Histological examination of 25 fetal (13-28 weeks) and 5 infant (2-21 weeks) stomach specimens.
- Immunohistochemistry using antibodies for H+/K+-ATPase, intrinsic factor, and gastrin.
Main Results:
- Parietal cell activity, indicated by H+/K+-ATPase and intrinsic factor, was observed in fetal stomach regions (body, antrum, pylorus).
- Gastrin-producing G cells were identified from 18 weeks gestation onwards, exclusively in the antrum and pylorus.
- Parietal cell activity was significantly more limited in infant specimens compared to fetal ones.
Conclusions:
- The human fetus possesses the capacity for gastric acid, intrinsic factor, and gastrin production by the mid-second trimester.
- Gastric cell development and activity differ between the fetal and early infant stages.
Abstract:
Little data exist regarding the activity of gastric parietal and G cells in the very immature infant. Therefore, we have examined the developing human stomach for the presence and location of parietal and G cells, by using both standard histological methods and antibodies to the H+/K(+)-ATPase (proton pump), intrinsic factor and gastrin in 25 fetuses (ranging from 13-28 weeks) and in 5 infants (2-21 weeks). Parietal cell activity was noted in the body, antrum and pyloric regions in all the fetal specimens examined. However, this activity was much more limited in the infant specimens. Gastrin immunoreactivity was noted in all specimens from 18 weeks of gestation onwards; this activity was located solely in the antral and pyloric region. These results indicate that the human fetus has the potential to produce gastric acid, intrinsic factor and gastrin from the middle of the second trimester.