Giovanni Scillitani

Aquaporins (AQPs) are important for water transport in the gastrointestinal tract. Changes in their expression and/or localization could cause in disorders and be used as therapeutic targets. Aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) is expressed predominantly on the basolateral membrane of the parietal cells in the corpus of the murine gastric glands. Although the secretion of gastric juice is not affected in AQP4‐deficient knockout, we evaluated by light microscopy whether the lack of AQP4 affects the glycopatterns of secreting gastric cells. Wild type (WT) and AQP4‐deficient knockout mice (KO) were fed a standard diet ad libitum before sacrifice. Segments of stomach corpus were collected, fixed in buffered formalin, and embedded in paraffin wax. Sections, 5‐μm thick, were analyzed by histochemical methods (Periodic acid‐Schiff, Alcian Blue pH 2.5), and binding of lectins specific to GalNAc (SBA, DBA), Gal (PNA) GlcNAc (WGA, GSAII) mannose and/or glucose (ConA), and fucose (UEA‐I, AAA, LTA). Immunohistochemical methods such as anti‐Muc6 for neck cells and anti‐ β‐ H + /K + ‐ATPase for parietal cells were also performed. Compared to WT mice, in the mucous cells of KO lower amounts of glycans with galactosyl/galactosaminylated, glycosyl/glycosaminylated, and fucosylated residues were observed; lower fucosylation resulted also in the parietal cells. The observed differences of KO in respect to WT could lead to severer pathological conditions. Research Highlights Glycopatterns in gastric glands were compared between wild type (WT) and AQP4‐deficient knockout (KO) mice by histochemical and lectin‐binding methods. In the mucous cells of KO lower amounts of glycans with galactosyl/galactosaminylated, glycosyl/glycosaminylated and fucosylated residues were observed. In the parietal cells lower fucosylation also resulted. AQP4‐deficiency affects glycosylation and could result in altered functionality and pathological conditions.

Aluminum (Al) is used in everyday life and present in food drugs, packaging, industry, and agriculture. Although it is the most common metal in the Earth crust, a correlation has been demonstrated between its presence and various pathologies, even serious ones, especially of a neurological type. However, there is a histological gap regarding the role Al can have in contact with the covering and secreting epithelia. The alterations of the ventral and dorsal foot mucocytes and their secretions of the snail Eobania vermiculata caused by Al were investigated in situ by histochemical and lectin‐histochemical techniques. Administration to different experimental groups took place for 3 and 9 days with 50 and 200 μM of AlCl 3 . Several types of mucocytes were detected with a prevalent secretion of acid glycans in the foot of E. vermiculata . Sulfated glycans prevail in the dorsal region, with one type showing only fucosylated residues and another also having galactosaminylated and glycosaminylated residues. Carboxylated glycans prevail in the ventral region, with presence of galactosaminylated, glycosaminylated, and fucosylated residuals in both cells. Snails treated presented a general decrease of mucin amount in the secreting cells and affected the mucus composition. These changes could alter the rheological and functional properties of the mucus with possible implications for the health of the treated animals. Research Highlights Snails were fed with Al‐contaminated lettuce at different concentrations. In the foot mucocytes produced mucus with prevailing acidic glycans. In the treated resulted a reduction in the amount of mucus and an alteration of glycan composition.