tubular glands of the stomach of vertebrate animals and man located in the region of the pylorus, where the stomach joins the duodenum.

Man has about 3.5 million pyloric glands, with a total secretory surface of 0.4 sq m. They are located in the mucosa and open into the gastric fossae. In contrast to the fundal glands, the pyloric glands are divided by large interlayers of connective tissue and have shorter and more extensively branched endings, as well as broad lumina. The secretory parts consist of mucous cells resembling the accessory cells of the fundal glands; their cytoplasm is filled with mucus. The secretion of the pyloric glands is alkaline.