Quantitative features of goblet cells in the rat tracheobronchial tree.

The whole-mount quantitative method was used to study the density and distribution of goblet cells in the male rat lung. The airway of the left lung in 10 lung specimens were dissected downwards in the axial pathway and the airway generation levels were determined by an exact numbering system. The entire bronchial mucous membrane was separated and stained according to the PAS-alcian blue whole-mount method. There was a significant decrease in goblet cell density from the proximal to the distal airways (6 to 0 cells/field). The overall median density was 1 cell/field, corresponding to 56 cells per mm2. The goblet cells were irregularly distributed throughout the airways. When using the rat airway epithelium as an animal model system the whole-mount method is recommended and this study provides an exact quantitative mapping of the rat airway epithelial system to be used for baseline comparison.