Submucosal glands can refer to various racemose exocrine glands of the mucous type. These glands secrete mucus to facilitate the movement of particles along the body's various tubes, such as the throat and intestines. The mucosa is the lining of the tubes, like a kind of ''skin''. ''Submucosal'' means that the actual gland resides in the connecting tissue below the mucosa. The submucosa is the tissue that connects the mucosa to the

muscle Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...

outside the tube. The glands themselves are quite complex. The mucus factory is at the bottom, in the submucosa, it is composed of many little sacs (acini) where the mucus originates. Each sac (acinus) has one end that can open and close (dilate) to allow the mucus out. The acini empty into little tubes (tubules) that lead to a reservoir (collecting duct) that has a portal through the ''skin'' (mucosa) that can open and close allowing the mucus into the main tube. The submucosal glands are a companion to

goblet cell Goblet cells are simple columnar epithelial cells that secrete gel-forming mucins, like mucin 2 in the lower gastrointestinal tract, and mucin 5AC in the respiratory tract. The goblet cells mainly use the merocrine method of secretion, secre ...

s which also produce mucus, and are found lining the same tubes. * In the upper respiratory system of mammals there are submucosal glands in the airways, notably in the sinuses, the

trachea The trachea (: tracheae or tracheas), also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all animals' lungs. The trachea extends from ...

and the bronchial tubes. * In the visual systems of mammals. * In the auditory systems of mammals. * In the throat there are the esophageal submucosal glands, the submucosal glands of the esophagus. * For the intestine there are

Brunner's glands Brunner's glands (or duodenal glands) are compound tubuloalveolar submucosal glands found in that portion of the duodenum proximal to the hepatopancreatic sphincter (i.e sphincter of Oddi). For decades, it was believed that the main function of ...

, the submucosal glands of the duodenum.

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