The intestinal mucosa
The intestinal mucosa is the inner layer that covers the entire length of the gut and separates the inside of the body from the external environment. It not only works to digest and absorb the nutrients that we intake, but it also represents our first line of defense and is a central organ in the homeostasis of the whole organism.
It is made up of intestinal villi lined with epithelial cells that establish a semipermeable barrier. This defensive wall allows the selective passage to food nutrients, where it blocks access to antigens, toxins, pathogens and other external aggressions. Beneath the epithelium, abundant lymphatic tissue with immune cells can be found.
All these cells produce and secrete a myriad of molecules that regulate the processes of digestion and absorption of nutrients, defense and repair of the intestinal barrier, the development and function of the immune system, and the symbiotic equilibrium with the gut microbiota.
Because of all these reasons, the intestinal mucosa is emerging as an essential element participating in the intestinal, metabolic, immunological and mental health of animals and humans.
