Search
mucus
The clear viscid secretion of mucous membranes.
Function:
- nasal mucus in combination with ciliary movement constitutes part of the innate defense the airways (mucociliary clearance)
Constituents:
- water
- electrolytes (inorganic salts)
- mucin glycoproteins & other smaller proteins
- lipids,
- epithelial cells
- leukocytes
Expression:
- in the GI tract, mucus is secreted by goblet cells
Laboratory:
- phase-contrast microscopy (image) [2]*
* evaporation of water can lead to crystallization of the electrolytes, & fern formation (image) [2]
Pathology:
- allergic rhinitis & rhinosinusitis may alter nasal mucus manifested in part by reduced ferning (fern formation) [2]
Related
mucin
mucoid
mucous membrane
General
body fluid
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999
- Gelardi M, Cassano M
Images in Clinical Medicine
Ferning in Nasal Mucus.
N Engl J Med. 2021. June 12.
PMID: 34133877
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2034441