(1) Source Cells and Secretion Mechanism of Gastro-Intestinal Hormones

Abstract

The basal-granulated cells dispersed in the mucosal epithelium of the digestive tract represent the sources of gastro-intestinal hormones. Evidence has accumulated for that the basal-granulated cells comprise, besides the long known enterochromaffine (EC) cells, several different types which correspond to different hormones.
This article will first introduce the types, structures and presumed functions of the basal-granulated cells which we have found in the human digestive tract and later will mention our experiments and hypotheses on the possible role of the cells in the occurrence of diarrhea such as in cholera.