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    Intestinal Mucosal Barrier & Highly Absorptive Cells

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    The intestine is responsible for digestion and absorption. It has four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa/adventitia. The small intestine has adaptations that increase surface area for absorption, including folds, villi, and microvilli. The mucosa contains villi and crypts of Lieberkühn. Villi contain absorptive enterocytes and goblet cells, and project into the lumen. Crypts contain stem cells and secretory cells. The intestinal barrier includes the mucus layer, tight junctions, and immune cells. Enterocytes in the small intestine absorb nutrients using transport processes and contain microvilli with digestive enzymes.

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    Intestinal Mucosal Barrier & Highly Absorptive Cells

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    85 views25 pages
    The intestine is responsible for digestion and absorption. It has four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa/adventitia. The small intestine has adaptations that increase surface area for absorption, including folds, villi, and microvilli. The mucosa contains villi and crypts of Lieberkühn. Villi contain absorptive enterocytes and goblet cells, and project into the lumen. Crypts contain stem cells and secretory cells. The intestinal barrier includes the mucus layer, tight junctions, and immune cells. Enterocytes in the small intestine absorb nutrients using transport processes and contain microvilli with digestive enzymes.

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    The intestine is responsible for digestion and absorption. It has four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa/adventitia. The small intestine has adaptations that increase surface area for absorption, including folds, villi, and microvilli. The mucosa contains villi and crypts of Lieberkühn. Villi contain absorptive enterocytes and goblet cells, and project into the lumen. Crypts contain stem cells and secretory cells. The intestinal barrier includes the mucus layer, tight junctions, and immune cells. Enterocytes in the small intestine absorb nutrients using transport processes and contain microvilli with digestive enzymes.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    85 views25 pages

    Intestinal Mucosal Barrier & Highly Absorptive Cells

    Uploaded by

    as qw
    The intestine is responsible for digestion and absorption. It has four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscularis externa, and serosa/adventitia. The small intestine has adaptations that increase surface area for absorption, including folds, villi, and microvilli. The mucosa contains villi and crypts of Lieberkühn. Villi contain absorptive enterocytes and goblet cells, and project into the lumen. Crypts contain stem cells and secretory cells. The intestinal barrier includes the mucus layer, tight junctions, and immune cells. Enterocytes in the small intestine absorb nutrients using transport processes and contain microvilli with digestive enzymes.

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    of 25

    By: Dr.

    Sahar El-Ghandour
    The intestine is the part of the digestive system responsible for terminal food
    digestion and absorption of nutrients & water. Two anatomic regions exist, the
    small intestine and the large intestine. Both of them are further subdivided into
    anatomically discernible subdivisions.
    The wall of the intestine as well as the remainder of the tubular digestive tract
    is formed of the following four tunics:

    2
    1
    *Consists of three sub-layers:

    A type appropriate to the function of each segment.

    Is a layer of loose C.T.


    It supports the epithelium and attaches it to the muscularis mucosa.
    It houses glands and conveys blood vessels, lymphatics and nerves close to the surface.
    It also contains lymphocytes and lymphatic nodules (GALT).

    It is formed of a thin layer of smooth muscle fibers, usually arranged into two layers,
    inner circular and outer longitudinal.
    Its contraction  folding, local movement of the mucosa & secretion of its glands.
    In the esophagus.

    Only in the stomach.


    In the small intestine.

    Throughout the entire large intestine.


    2. SUBMUCOSA

    Formed of loose C.T.


    Supports the mucosa.
    Contains larger blood vessels, lymphatics, Meissner's plexus of nerves and glands that
    deliver their products into the gut lumen.
    It also contains scattered lymphatic nodules involved in the immunological defense.
    3. MUSCULARIS PROPRIA (EXTERNA)

    It is formed of smooth muscle fibers, usually arranged into two layers, inner circular and
    outer longitudinal.
    In the stomach only there is an additional inner oblique layer.
    The myenteric (Auerbach's) plexus of nerves is present in between the two layers.
    The action of the two layers, at right angles to one another is the basis of peristaltic
    movements that aid mixing of food with the digestive enzymes.

    4. SEROSA OR ADVENTITIA

    Within the abdominal cavity, it is formed of loose C.T. covered by mesothelial cells
    (Serosa).
    When there is no peritoneal covering, the mesothelial cells are lacking (Adventitia).
    This layer contains blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves and variable adipose tissue.
    This layer protects the viscus and fixes it to the surrounding tissues. It also facilitates its
    movement.
    Structural features considerably increase the luminal surface area and support
    the main function of the small intestine - absorption of the digested food.

    These features include:


    1- Extreme length about 5 meters.
    2- Mucosa and submucosa are thrown into transverse folds called plicae circulares = valves
    of Kerckring.
    3- Presence of villi and crypts of Lieberkühn.
    4- Plentiful microvilli at the luminal surface of enterocytes.
    HISTOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE SMALL INTESTINE MUCOSA

    Mucosa

    Characterized by the presence of intestinal villi and intestinal glands (crypts of Lieberkühn).
    Formed of:

    It covers the surface of the villi and lines the crypts.


    Its type is simple columnar epithelium.

    C.T. extending in the core of the villi and surrounding the crypts.

    Smooth muscles arranged as inner circular and outer longitudinal.


    They are finger like projections of the mucosa extending into the lumen.
    Each is formed of villus epithelium covering a C.T. core. Its height is about 0.5-1mm.
    The villus epithelium Includes 3 types of cells:
    1. Columnar absorptive cells (enterocytes): have microvilli.
    2. Goblet cells: secrete mucous.
    3. Enteroendocrine cells: secrete hormones.
    The core of the villus is formed of areolar C.T. lamina propria that contains:
    1. Reticular fibers.
    2. Immune cells; lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages.
    3. Lymph vessels (central lacteals).
    4. Smooth muscle fibers extending from the muscularis mucosa. They surround the
    lacteals.
    5. Arterial twigs from submucosa that end as subepithelial capillary network.
    Intestinal Crypts of Lieberkühn:

    Crypt

    They are simple tubular glands occupying the whole thickness of the corium.
    They open into the surface by minute openings that appear in between the villi.
    The crypt epithelium includes:
    1. Columnar absorbing cells.
    2. Goblet cells: secrete mucus.
    3. Paneth cells: secrete lysozymes (Bactericidal substances), defensive proteins (defensin)
    and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
    4. Enteroendocrine cells: secrete hormones ➔ regulate the function of the GIT.
    5. Crypt base columnar cells: they are stem cells.
    Other Mucosal Cells:
    M cells (microfold or membrane like epithelial cells): Is a modified
    enterocyte present in the ileum overlying Peyer's patches (aggregates of
    GALT in the ileum). Its function is to transport samples of intraluminal
    antigens across the cytoplasm to the lymphocytes and macrophages in the
    lamina propria (the corium).
    COMPONENTS OF THE INTESTINAL MUCOSAL BARRIER

    Human intestinal mucosal barrier includes:


    1. A physical (= mechanical) barrier, made up of the mucus layer, intestinal epithelial cells,
    tight junctions between cells, mucosal lamina propria, and muscularis mucosa.
    2. An Immunological barrier in the form of:
    GALT; where immune cells aggregate and dispersed immune cells in the lamina propria.
    Secretory products; like lysozymes, defensin, tumor necrosis factor alpha and IgA.
    Presence of normal flora that prevent inhabiting the intestine with pathogenic organisms.
    Enterocytes, or intestinal absorptive cells, are simple columnar epithelial
    cells found in the intestine.

    *The small intestine which is the main site for food absorption.
    *The large intestine for absorption of water.
    COLUMNAR ABSORPTIVE CELLS (ENTEROCYTES)

    Site in the Small Intestine:


     Over the villi.
     In the superficial part of the crypts.
    LM:
     Tall columnar cs. with oval basal nuclei.
     They have brush (striated) free borders.

    EM:
    Abundant mitochondria.
    Well developed rER and Golgi apparatus.
    Well developed sER.
    Junctional complexes & interdigitations of the lateral borders with the adjacent cells.
    Intercellular clefts to which chylomicrons pass first before entering the central lacteal.
    Numerous microvilli over the free borders: about 3000/cell. Each microvillus is 1µm
    long and contains a core of actin filaments.
    Thick cell coat containing glycoprotein hydrolytic enzymes.
    Functions:
     The more important function of the columnar intestinal cells is to absorb the nutrient
    molecules produced by the digestive process.
     Disaccharidases and peptidases secreted by these absorptive cells and bound to microvilli
    in the brush border hydrolyze the disaccharides and dipeptides into monosaccharides and
    amino acids that are easily absorbed through active transport. Lipid digestion occurs
    mainly as a result of the action of pancreatic lipase and bile.

    Lipid absorption in the small intestine


    Dr. Sahar

    References:
    1. Gartner L.P. and Hiatt J.L. (2006): Color Textbook of Histology, 3rd edition.
    2. Junqueira L.C. and Carneiro J. (2013): Basic Histology text and atlas, 13th edition.
    3. Young B., Woodford W. & O‘Dowd G. (2014): Wheater’s Functional Histology, 6th edition.

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