Brunner's glands

The Brunner's glands ( glands duodenal ) are mucous glands with branched tubuloalveolären glandular tubes of single- cubic epithelium, which open into the crypts of the duodenum. They lie beneath the lamina muscularis mucosae in the submucosa and break through this.

The glands were first described in 1686 by Johann Conrad Brunner in his work De glandulis in duodeno intestino detectis.

Function

The glands secrete a glykoproteinhaltigen, alkaline mucus that neutralizes the acidic chyme from the stomach. They also produce proteolytic enzymes (eg enteropeptidase = enterokinase ) and amylase and maltase. Is the enzyme content decreases, so also reduces the absorption of dietary constituents, which may lead to severe malabsorption.