Intestines Flashcards
What role does the small intestine play in digestion?
Chemical digestion of food and absorption of products of digestion
What role does the small intestine play in digestion?
Chemical digestion of food and absorption of products of digestion
The small intestine is divided into:
- Duodenum - shortest segment, 25 cm long
- Jejunum - 2.5 cm long
- Ileum - 3.5 cm long
What are the four layers of the digestive tract?
- Mucosa
- Submucosa
- Muscularis externa
- Serosa
The mucosa of the small intestine has special features that serve to:
Increase the surface area available for digestion and absorption
The surface area of the small intestine is increased by: (2)
- Plicae circulares
2. Villi
What is the plicae circulares?
Valves of Kerckring - permanent submucosal folds. Since the submucosa folds, the overlying mucosa also folds and increases the epithelial surface area
What are villi?
Finger-like mucosal folds that project into the lumen. This is characteristic of the small intestine only to increase the surface area.
How do you distinguish between villi and microvilli?
Microvilli are cytoplasmic projections of individual cells
Describe the mucosa of the small intestine:
- Characterized by villi - which are covered by simple columnar epithelium containing primarily ENTEROCYTES (absorptive cells). Underlying the epithelium is the lamina propria
- Also has intestinal glands - CRYPTS OF LIEBERKUHN - simple tubular glands that open at the base of the villi and empty into the lumen.
The Crypts of Lieberkuhn extend thru the lamina propria to the:
Muscularis mucosae
Describe the lamina propria of the small intestine:
- Delicate CT that forms the core of the villus and surrounds the glands
- Contains blood and lymphatic vessels
- Capillary network right under the epithelium
- Has a central lacteal
- Lymphatic infiltration is common
What is the central lacteal?
A lymphatic vessel: blind-ending vessel that begins near the tip of the villus, runs thru the central core of the villus, and drains to a plexus in the lamina propria and submucosa
Describe the lymphatic infiltration of the lamina propria:
It can be diffuse or nodular. This is part of the gult-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) which is found throughout the entire GI tract
Where is the muscularis mucosae?
Thin layer deep to the glands
Describe the submocosa:
- Coarse collagenous CT (dense irregular)
The small intestine is divided into:
- Duodenum - shortest segment, 25 cm long
- Jejunum - 2.5 cm long
- Ileum - 3.5 cm long
What are the four layers of the digestive tract?
- Mucosa
- Submucosa
- Muscularis externa
- Serosa
The mucosa of the small intestine has special features that serve to:
Increase the surface area available for digestion and absorption
The surface area of the small intestine is increased by: (2)
- Plicae circulares
2. Villi
What is the plicae circulares?
Valves of Kerckring - permanent submucosal folds. Since the submucosa folds, the overlying mucosa also folds and increases the epithelial surface area
What are villi?
Finger-like mucosal folds that project into the lumen. This is characteristic of the small intestine only to increase the surface area.
How do you distinguish between villi and microvilli?
Microvilli are cytoplasmic projections of individual cells
Describe the mucosa of the small intestine:
- Characterized by villi - which are covered by simple columnar epithelium containing primarily ENTEROCYTES (absorptive cells). Underlying the epithelium is the lamina propria
- Also has intestinal glands - CRYPTS OF LIEBERKUHN - simple tubular glands that open at the base of the villi and empty into the lumen.
The Crypts of Lieberkuhn extend thru the lamina propria to the:
Muscularis mucosae
Describe the lamina propria of the small intestine:
- Delicate CT that forms the core of the villus and surrounds the glands
- Contains blood and lymphatic vessels
- Capillary network right under the epithelium
- Has a central lacteal
- Lymphatic infiltration is common
What is the central lacteal?
A lymphatic vessel: blind-ending vessel that begins near the tip of the villus, runs thru the central core of the villus, and drains to a plexus in the lamina propria and submucosa
Describe the lymphatic infiltration of the lamina propria:
It can be diffuse or nodular. This is part of the gult-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) which is found throughout the entire GI tract
Where is the muscularis mucosae?
Thin layer deep to the glands
Describe the submocosa:
- Coarse collagenous CT (dense irregular)
- Ganglion cells of submucosal (Meissner’s) plexus may be present
- Submucosal glands in DUODENUM ONLY - Brunner’s glands
What are Brunner’s glands?
They are present in the duodenum, branched tubular glands that produce an alkaline mucus, buffering the acidic chyme entering from the stomach.
What do Brunner’s glands empty into?
Crypts of Lieberkuhn
Describe the muscularis externa of the small intestine?
- Two layers of smooth muscle - inner circular and outer longitudinal
- Ganglion cells of the myenteric plexus between the smooth muscle layers
Contraction of the INNER layer of smooth muscle results in:
Segmentation
Contraction of the OUTER layer of smooth muscle results in:
Peristalsis
Describe the serosa:
When covered by peritoneal epithelium
What are the different types of cells in the epithelium? (5)
- Enterocytes - absorptive cells
- Goblet cells - mucus
- Enteroendocrine cell - hormones: gastrin, secretin, serotonin
- Immature enterocyte - secretory IgA
- Undifferentiated stem cell
What are enterocytes?
- Columnar absorptive cells
- Primary cell type covering the villi
- Replaced every 5-6 days
- Tall, regualr microvilli at apical surface of cells greatly increased the surface area for absorption
What are enterocytes replaced by?
Undifferentiated cells in the crypt of Lieberkuhn
In LM sections, they are visible as:
The striated border