Equine Stomach Development in the Foetal Period of Prenatal Life-An Immunohistochemical Study.
Authors: Poradowski Dominik, Chrószcz Aleksander
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Understanding how the equine stomach develops in utero is crucial for appreciating the functional maturity of the newborn foal's digestive system, yet this developmental physiology has received relatively little attention in the equine literature. Poradowski and Chrószcz undertook an immunohistochemical examination of fundic and pyloric stomach tissue collected across three gestational periods (4th to 11th month), comparing the distribution and activity of neuroendocrine (APUD) cells with those found in adult horses using semi-quantitative scoring methods. Gastrin-producing G cells showed the most pronounced increase in activity during this window, whilst other key endocrine populations—cholecystokinin (I) cells, somatostatin (D) cells, and somatotropin receptor cells—demonstrated more modest developmental changes, indicating that gastric maturation is not uniform across all endocrine cell types. These findings demonstrate that significant qualitative and quantitative restructuring of gastric endocrine tissue occurs throughout the second and third trimesters, directly paralleling structural changes in the stomach wall itself. For practitioners, this research underpins the physiological basis of foal gastric function at birth and may inform nutritional and management strategies during the critical early post-natal period when the gastrointestinal tract is completing its transition to independent function.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Understanding normal fetal stomach development and endocrine cell maturation provides baseline for identifying abnormal fetal development in foals
- •The significant increase in gastrin-producing cells during late gestation reflects the maturation of acid secretion capacity, relevant for managing neonatal foal gastric function
- •Knowledge of APUD cell development timing may inform decisions about feeding and digestive support strategies during critical perinatal transitions
Key Findings
- •Gastrin (G) cell activity showed the most significant increase during fetal development between 4th and 11th month of gestation
- •APUD cells (cholecystokinin, somatostatin, and somatotropin receptor cells) demonstrated less dynamic activity changes compared to G cells
- •Quantitative and qualitative changes in APUD cell populations correlate with morphological changes in stomach wall development and organ maturation
- •Adult reference populations showed distinct differences from fetal gastric endocrine cell populations