Intestinal histophysiology is the study of structure and function of tissues that form the small and large intestines. The intestines are tubular shaped organs that are part of the alimentary canal of the digestive system.

The intestines, like that of the rest of the digestive tract, consist of four layers of tissue: mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa. The innermost layer, the mucosa, opens into the interior of the intestines, the lumen. The mucosa is made up of several layers. The first, a layer of epithelial cells called the lamina epithelialis, lines the lumen. Different epithelial cell types enable digestion, absorption, secretion, and production of hormones within the intestines. Beneath the lamina epithelialis is a layer of loose connective tissue containing blood vessels and lymphatic vessels called the lamina propria. The last layer of the mucosa, the lamina muscularis mucosae, consists of smooth muscle and enables the...