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microvilli

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microvilli
[-vil′ī]
Etymology: Gk, mikros, small; L, villus, shaggy hair
tiny hairlike folds in the plasma membrane that extend from the surface of many absorptive or secretory cells. They are most clearly visible with an electron microscope but may be seen as a "brush border" with a light microscope.

microvilli
(mī´krōvil´ē),
n.pl tiny hairlike processes that extend from the surface of many cells. They are usually so small as to be visible only with an electron microscope.


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Delta containing vesicles traffic to the microvilli under normal circumstances.
The villi increase the intestinal absorptive surface area 300-fold and microvilli 600-fold, providing a massive absorption surface of the gut lumen for oral insulin.
The function of these three, the plicae circulares, the villi and the microvilli is to increase the amount of inner surface area of the intestine estimated to be 250 sq meters or about the surface size of a tennis court.
 
 
 
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