Title: mesoderm
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - mesoderm
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.10944
Status: current

Definition
Middle layer of cells in the embryo, lying between the ectoderm and the endoderm. It includes the following tissues:
Lateral mesoderm: peripheral portion of intraembryonic mesoderm.
Intermediate mesoderm: origin of the nephrogenic cord.
Parietal (somatic) mesoderm: cell source for the formation of the lateral and ventral body wall.
Visceral (branchial, pharyngeal, splanchnic) mesoderm: inner layer of lateral mesoderm that, with the endoderm, provides the cells from which the gut and lungs and their coverings arise.

Related Terms
- Parietal: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11072
- Visceral: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11374
- branchial: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10471
- ectoderm: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10632
- endoderm: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10659
- mesenchyme: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10942
- pharyngeal: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11086
- somatic: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11226
- splanchnic: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11252
- ventral: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/11363

Source
- PAC, 2016, 88, 713. 'Glossary of terms used in developmental and reproductive toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 778 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-1202)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10944/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10944/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10944/xml

Citation: Citation: 'mesoderm' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.10944
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-05-10T09:36:56+00:00