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The circular folds slow the passage of the partly digested food along the intestines, and afford an increased surface for absorption. [5] They are covered with small finger-like projections called villi (singular, villus). Each villus, in turn, is covered with microvilli. The microvilli absorb fats and nutrients from the chyme.
These folds together with villi serve to increase the surface area of the jejunum enabling an increased absorption of digested sugars, amino acids and fatty acids into the bloodstream. The circular folds also slow the passage of food giving more time for nutrients to be absorbed. The last part of the small intestine is the ileum.
The combination of the circular folds, the villi, and the microvilli increases the absorptive area of the mucosa about 600-fold, making a total area of about 250 m 2 (2,700 sq ft) for the entire small intestine. [20]
The circular muscle layer prevents food from travelling backward and the longitudinal layer shortens the tract. The thickness of the muscular layer varies in each part of the tract: In the colon, for example, the muscular layer is much thicker because the faeces are large and heavy and require more force to push along.
The functions of the circular folds, the villi, and the microvilli are to increase the amount of surface area available for the absorption of nutrients, and to limit the loss of said nutrients to intestinal fauna. Each villus has a network of capillaries and fine lymphatic vessels called lacteals close to its surface. The epithelial cells of ...
These folds are about 12 mm. in width and are composed of the circular muscle coat of the rectum. They are usually three in number; sometimes a fourth is found, and occasionally only two are present. One is situated near the commencement of the rectum, on the right side.
The jejunum has many large circular folds in its submucosa called plicae circulares that increase the surface area for nutrient absorption. The plicae circulares are best developed in the jejunum. There is no line of demarcation between the jejunum and the ileum.
Its circular folds are smaller and absent in the terminal part of the ileum. While the length of the intestinal tract contains lymphoid tissue, only the ileum has abundant Peyer's patches, unencapsulated lymphoid nodules that contain large numbers of lymphocytes and other cells of the immune system.