Morphogenesis of intestinal villi in early postnatal ontogenesis
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Abstract
Introduction. Intestinal villi are key morphofunctional structures of the small intestinal mucosa responsible for nutrient absorption. Despite a long history of research, certain aspects of their postnatal remodeling remain insufficiently systematized. Aim — to summarize available data on the morphogenesis of intestinal villi during the early postnatal ontogenesis in laboratory animals and humans. Materials and methods. An analytical review of domestic and international publications on the postnatal formation of small intestinal villi was performed. Literature search was conducted in Pub Med and eLibrary databases. Results. At birth, jejunal villi have a finger-like configuration without folding. During the first week of life, enterocyte migration from superficial crypts onto the villi begins, leading to their elongation. By day 14, slight folding appears, and by the end of the first month, the intestinal wall structure approaches its definitive form. Villous shape sequentially transforms from finger-like to tongue-like and then to ridge-like. In rats, villous height increases 3-fold by 9 months of age; in humans, it doubles from birth to adulthood. In the early postnatal period, active desquamation of degenerating enterocytes is observed at the villous tips, preceded by characteristic ultrastructural changes. Conclusion. Postnatal morphogenesis of intestinal villi represents a sequential pattern of structural transformations determined by the balance of enterocyte proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. The type of nutrition is a significant modulating factor in this process.
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