{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T06:26:13Z","timestamp":1789626373508,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":68,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759104000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"medical faculty of the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The intestinal mucus layer is a dynamic protective barrier that maintains gut homeostasis, supports immune defense, and regulates host\u2013microbiota interactions. Rodent models have yielded valuable insights, but their intestinal structure and physiology differ from those of humans and pigs. By contrast, the omnivorous pig shares closer anatomical and immunological features with humans, making it a relevant large-animal model in translational studies. In this study, we established a histological workflow for porcine intestine by combining Carnoy\u2019s fixation with Alcian Blue\u2013Periodic Acid\u2013Schiff and Mucicarmine staining. This enabled accurate visualization and quantification of goblet-cell density and mucus thickness across intestinal segments, with a particular focus on Peyer\u2019s patches\u2014key sites of immune surveillance. Both stains produced consistent results. We observed a clear proximal-to-distal gradient, from jejunum to colon, in mucus thickness: the colon displayed the thickest layer (~100 \u03bcm), whereas the follicle-associated epithelium over Peyer\u2019s patches in the jejunum and ileum showed a markedly thinner layer (&lt;12 \u03bcm) and fewer goblet cells. Immunofluorescence further revealed strong cytokeratin-18 expression in goblet cells, delineating their morphology and polarity. These findings demonstrate region-specific differences in mucus architecture and goblet-cell distribution that likely reflect specialized immune functions, advancing our understanding of the intestinal barrier and informing future strategies to support gut health and immunity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15192852","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]],"date-time":"2025-09-30T08:21:51Z","timestamp":1759220511000},"page":"2852","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Goblet Cells and Mucus Composition in Jejunum and Ileum Containing Peyer\u2019s Patches and in Colon: A Study in Pigs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0869-6084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vladimir","family":"Ginoski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Street 44, Building 43, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4646-9520","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Luis","family":"Cort\u00e9s S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Street 44, Building 43, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefan","family":"Kahlert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Street 44, Building 43, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8675-9258","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johannes","family":"Schulze Holthausen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0831-4077","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"Grze\u015bkowiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J\u00fcrgen","family":"Zentek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hermann-Josef","family":"Rothk\u00f6tter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Street 44, Building 43, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108906","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2019.108906","article-title":"Importance of Digestive Mucus and Mucins for Designing New Functional Food Ingredients","volume":"131","author":"Kebouchi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Res. 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