Trachea of a Cat at Medium Power

This is from the trachea of a cat at medium power. The globules of mucus in the goblet cells stain light blue. You can barely make out the thin blue line at the apical surface of the ciliated cells. This line represent the basal bodies of the cilia. Note the “staggered” arrangement of the nuclei in this pseudostratified epithelium. In the trachea and the primary bronchus, you will not find a well-developed band of muscularis mucosae made up of smooth muscles. Thus the lamina propria and the submucosa blend together. The cells of the submucosal glands contain purplish serous granules and bluish globules of mucus in the cytoplasm. There is a separation artifact between the connective tissue in the propria-submucosa and the hyaline cartilage. In this section the red blood cells stain yellow (as seen in the small vein). PK1598. K2c. Original mag. 100x. AB-PAS-FeH-PA. Trachea. Respiratory System. Cat.