This high magnification
view of the duodenum shows the villi of the intestinal mucosa. The villi consist
of a core of loose connective tissue, containing capillaries and a large lymphatic
vessle (the lacteal), covered by a simple columnar epithelium containing absorptive
cells and goblet cells (not present in this image). The space betwen the connective
tissue and the epithelium is a shrinkage artifact. The small, darkly stained
nuclei within the epithelium belong to lymphocytes that enter the space between
cells. Note the numerous capillaries, which are part of the capillary network
that fills the villi. Note also the dark line at the apicices of the epithelial
cells, which marks the location of the terminal web of cytoskeletal filaments
associated with the apical junctional complexes.
