BIOL 030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Pseudostratified Columnar Epithelium, Paranasal Sinuses, Basal Lamina

• School: College of The Sequoias
• Department: Biology (BIOL)
• Course: BIOL 030
• Professor: Dewey

Document Summary

The structure of the respiratory tract epithelium (r. t. e) plays a large part in the defense of the respiratory system and liens most of the surfaces from the nasal cavity down to the terminal bronchi. These cilia also function to trap inhaled particles and microorganisms caught in mucus and sweep them back up the respiratory tract and out through the nose and mouth. Goblet mucus cells: can be found interspersed throughout the pseudostratified epithelium. These cells produce mucus causing them to stain lightly in a histological image. The mucus from these cells forms a protective layer over the epithelium and traps particulate matter or microorganisms that may be inhaled. It also provides moisture to humidify the air before it reaches the lungs. Functions to transfer or conduct" inhaled air from the outside world to the lung tissue. This portion also conducts air from the lungs to the outside world. This is where humidification and trapping debris takes place.