A quantitative description of the intestinal epithelium of the mouse

Abstract

Abstract The use of combined cell kinetic, tritiated thymidine labeling and liquid scintillation counting techniques has permitted quantification of several intestinal epithelial cell parameters. Wet weight and/or whole intestinal values for the following were obtained in C57B1/6 mice. Crypts/mg wet weight of intestine numbered 855 in the duodenum (D), 892 in the jejunum (J) and 1164 in the ileum (I). Crypts were subdivided into proliferative cells with the following values being obtained: 1.6 × 10 5 /mg (D), 1.6 × 10 5 (J) and 1.7 × 10 5 (I), and for nonproliferative cells, 1.1 × 10 5 /mg (D), 1.1 × 10 5 (J) and 1.2 × 10 5 (I). A cell cycle analysis permitted the proliferative cells to be further subdivided, and the numbers of cells in G 1 , S, and G 2 + M were determined. Division of the total number of proliferative cells by the mean cell generation time provided a value of 1.4 × 10 7 cells/hour for the cell production rate in the entire intestine. Division of cell production rate/mg by crypts/mg gave values for cell production rate/crypt of 15.2 cells/crypt/hour (D), 14.6 (J) and 11.2 (I). Epithelial cells per villus (J) numbered 3025, and there were 3.1 × 10 5 villous epithelial cell per milligram of jejunum. Division gave a value of 102 villi/mg (J). Dividing crypts/mg by villi/mg gave a value of 8.7 crypts/villus (J). Mean cell transit time from crypt to villus apex was 43.1 hours (D), 41.8 hours (J) and 42.6 hours (I).