Villi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Intestinal villus
Micrograph of the small intestine mucosa showing villi – top half of image. H&E stain
Section of duodenum of cat. X 60.
Latin	small intestinales
System	Digestive system

Villi are very tiny, finger-like structures in the small intestine. Each villus is approximately 0.5–1.6 mm in length (in humans).

They help to absorb nutrients from your food during digestion. The Villi have a rich blood supply. Those nutrients travel from the villi via diffusion into your bloodstream and around your body.

Each villus has micro-villi which increase the surface area of the intestinal walls. That means it has a larger surface area which allows the nutrients to be taken in more quickly.

If the villi are damaged or don't function properly you won't be able to absorb the nutrients you need from your food which you need to survive.

Images for kids

• 

  Structure of a villi

• 

  Vertical section of a villus from the dog's small intestine. X 80. (Simple columnar epithelium labeled at right, third from top.)

• 

  Transverse section of a villus, from the human intestine. X 350.
  a. Basement membrane, here somewhat shrunken away from the epithelium.
  b. Lacteal.
  c. Columnar epithelium.
  d. Its striated border.
  e. Goblet cells.
  f. Leucocytes in epithelium.
  f’. Leucocytes below epbithelium.
  g. Blood vessels.
  h. Muscle cells cut across.

• 

  MicroCT-based volume projection of the jejunal mucosa of a chicken. Virtual volume block with vertically truncated villi in oblique view. Scalebar = 0.2 mm.

• 

  MicroCT-based volume projection of the jejunal mucosa of a chicken. Virtual horizontal cut through villi. Scalebar = 0.2 mm.