Crypts of Lieberkühn
An intestinal gland from the human intestine.
Latin	glandulae intestinales
Gray's	subject #248 1174

The crypts of Lieberkühn (or intestinal glands) are glands found in the epithelial lining of the small intestine and colon. Named after the 18th-century German anatomist Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn, the crypts secrete various enzymes, including sucrase and maltase, along with endopeptidases and exopeptidases. 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.

[edit] Additional images

different stages of Coeliac Disease

General structure of the gut wall.

[edit] 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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