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Intestinal villi (sg.: villus) are small, finger-like projections that extend into the lumen of the small intestine. Each villus is approximately 0.5–1.6 mm in length (in humans), and has many microvilli projecting from the enterocytes of its epithelium which collectively form the striated or brush border .
Microvilli (sg.: microvillus) are microscopic cellular membrane protrusions that increase the surface area for diffusion and minimize any increase in volume, [1] and are involved in a wide variety of functions, including absorption, secretion, cellular adhesion, and mechanotransduction.
Drawing showing the relationship between villi and microvilli of the small intestine. The luminal surface of the enterocytes have microvilli (1 micrometer long) while the cell layer itself is folded to form villi (0.5-1.6 millimeters long) and crypts. Both serve to increase the total absorption surface of the intestine.
Microvilli are present on the epithelium of a villus and further increase the surface area over which absorption can take place. Numerous intestinal glands as pocket-like invaginations are present in the underlying tissue. In the large intestines, villi are absent and a flat surface with thousands of glands is observed.
Microvilli increase the surface area of a tissue, such as from their abundance on tissue protrusions such as intestinal villi. There is increasing evidence that membrane protrusions may act as platforms for the budding of extracellular vesicles .
When they lack microvilli, they are characterized by their microfolds, and hence receive their commonly known name. These cells are far less abundant than enterocytes . These cells can also be identified by cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix components expressed at the edge of cells or on their cell surfaces, such as actin , villin ...
Microvilli on the apical surface increase its surface area. This facilitates transport of numerous small molecules into the enterocyte from the intestinal lumen . These include broken down proteins , fats , and sugars , as well as water, electrolytes , vitamins , and bile salts .
The gut-associated lymphoid tissue lies throughout the intestine, covering an area of approximately 260–300 m 2. [5] In order to increase the surface area for absorption, the intestinal mucosa is made up of finger-like projections (), covered by a monolayer of epithelial cells, which separates the GALT from the lumen intestine and its contents.