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Review
. 2010 Oct;12(5):310-8.
doi: 10.1007/s11894-010-0135-y.

Intestinal mesenchymal cells

I V Pinchuk  1 , R C Mifflin, J I Saada, D W Powell
Affiliations
Review

Intestinal mesenchymal cells

I V Pinchuk et al. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

The non-white blood cell mesenchymal elements of the intestinal lamina propria are the myofibroblasts, fibroblasts, pericytes, stromal stem cells, muscularis mucosae, and the smooth muscle of the villus core associated with the lymphatic lacteal. We review the functional anatomy of these mesenchymal cells, what is known about their origin in the embryo and their replacement in adults, their putative role in intestinal mucosal morphogenesis, and the intestinal stem cell niche, and we consider new information about myofibroblasts as nonprofessional immune cells. Although our knowledge of the function of mesenchymal cells in intestinal disease is rudimentary, we briefly consider here their roles in cancer and intestinal inflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Role of intestinal stromal cells (myofibroblasts and fibroblasts [MF]) in resolving acute and perpetuating chronic inflammation. In response to microbial products and dietary peptides that cross the epithelial barrier, intestinal MFs may be activated to produce proinflammatory mediators and molecules that may either down regulate inflammation or lead to chronic inflammation. Recent research has provided insights to the immunosuppressive function of MFs. However, little is known about the mechanisms whereby MFs cause sustained inflammation. We postulate that myofibroblasts derived from epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and/or bone morrow (BM) stem cell migration may do this through yet unknown processes and factors
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References

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