Mucosa of the Large Intestine: Cell Types

The mucosa of the large intestine consists of straight tubular glands longer than in the small intestine. Neither plicae nor villi are seen in the large intestine.

1. The glands are lined by columnar absorptive enterocytes located in the upper portion of the gland. Goblet cells are the predominant cell type and increase in number in the distal segments of the large intestine.

2. The apical domain of the columnar absorptive cells has microvilli shorter than those seen in the enterocytes of the small intestine.

3. Scattered enteroendocrine cells are present. Paneth cells are not present in the large intestine.