Changes with age in density of goblet cells in the small intestine of broiler chicks

Goblet cells secrete mucin 2 (Muc2), which is a major component of the mucus that lines the intestinal tract and creates a protective barrier between pathogens and the intestinal epithelial cells and thus are important for chick health. The objectives of this study were to determine the age-specific and intestinal segment–specific expression of Muc2 mRNA and changes in the number of goblet cells from late embryogenesis to early after hatch. Small intestinal samples from the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were collected from Cobb 500 broilers at embryonic day 19 (e19), day of hatch (doh), and day 2 and 4 after hatch. Cells expressing Muc2 mRNA and mucin glycoprotein were detected by in situ hybridization or alcian blue and periodic acid–Schiff staining, respectively. Along the villi, there were many more cells expressing Muc2 mRNA than those stained for mucin glycoprotein. In the crypt, cells expressing Muc2 mRNA did not stain for mucin glycoprotein. There was an increase in the density of goblet cells in the villi and Muc2 mRNA expressing cells in the crypts of the jejunum and ileum from e19 to doh and day 2 to day 4, with no change between doh and day 2. In contrast, in the duodenum, the density of goblet cells in the villi and Muc2 mRNA expressing cells in the crypts remained constant from e19 to day 4. At day 4, the villi in the ileum had a greater density of goblet cells than the duodenum. In the crypt, the ileum had a greater density of Muc2 mRNA expressing cells than the duodenum at doh, and the ileum and jejunum both had greater densities of Muc2 mRNA expressing cells than the duodenum at day 4. These results indicate that the population of goblet cells has reached a steady state by doh in the duodenum, whereas in the jejunum and ileum, a steady-state population was not reached until after hatch.