| Intestinal crypt | |
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| Micrograph of the small intestine mucosa showing the crypts of Lieberkühn - bottom 1/3 of image. H&E stain. | |
| Latin | glandulae intestinales |
| Gray's | subject #248 1174 |
In histology, an intestinal crypt, also crypt of Lieberkühn and intestinal gland, is a gland found in the epithelial lining of the small intestine and colon.
The crypts secrete various enzymes, including sucrase and maltase, along with endopeptidases and exopeptidases. Also new epithelium is formed here, keeping in mind that the epithelium at this site is frequently worn away by the passing food. Loss of proliferation control in the crypts is thought to lead to colorectal cancer.
The basal portion of the Crypt contains multipotent stem cells. At each mitosis one daughter remains a stem cell while the other differentiates and migrates up the side of the crypt and eventually the villus. Goblet cells are among the cells produced in this fashion.
Eponym
The eponymous term (crypts of Lieberkühn) is named after the 18th-century German anatomist Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn.
Additional images
 different stages of Coeliac Disease |
 General structure of the gut wall. |
 An intestinal gland from the human intestine. |
External links
- Illustration at trinity.edu
- Illustration at kumc.edu
- Illustration at uokhsc.edu
- synd/2651 at Who Named It?
- intestinal+glands at eMedicine Dictionary
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