Lacteal

Lacteal

Infobox Anatomy
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Caption = 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 epithelium.
g. Bloodvessels.
h. Muscle cells cut across.


Caption2 = Villi of small intestine, showing bloodvessels and lymphatic vessels.
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DorlandsPre = l_01
DorlandsSuf = 12474659
A lacteal is a lymphatic capillary that absorbs dietary fats in the villi of the small intestine.

The combination of fat and lymph in the lacteals is milky in appearance and called chyle. Individual lacteals merge to form larger lymphatic vessels that transport the fats to the thoracic duct which empties into the left subclavian vein.

At this point, the fats are in the bloodstream in the form of chylomicrons. Once in the blood, chylomicrons are subject to delipidation by lipoprotein lipase. Eventually, enough lipid has been lost and additional apolipoproteins gained, that the resulting particle (now referred to as a chylomicron remnant) can be taken up by the liver. From the liver, the fat released from chylomicron remnants can be re-exported to the blood as the triglyceride component of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). VLDL, also subject to delipidation by vascular lipoprotein lipase, delivers fats to tissues throughout the body and, in particular, the released fatty acids can be stored in adipose cells as triglycerides. As triglycerides are lost from VLDL the lipoprotein particle becomes smaller and denser (since protein is denser than lipid) and ultimately becomes low density lipoprotein (LDL). A lot has been written about LDL because it is thought to be atherogenic.

ee also

* Villus

External links

*
* - "117. Digestive System: Alimentary Canal jejunum, central lacteals "
* [http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~jbradley/LactealA.html Diagram at ohio-state.edu]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • lactéal — ● lactéal, lactéale, lactéaux adjectif (latin lacteus) Relatif aux dents de lait (dents lactéales). ● lactéal, lactéale, lactéaux (expressions) adjectif (latin lacteus) Dentition lactéale, première poussée dentaire des jeunes de mammifères.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Lacteal — Lac te*al, a. [L. lacteus milky, fr. lac, lactis, milk. Cf. {Galaxy}, {Lettuce}.] 1. Pertaining to, or resembling, milk; milky; as, the lacteal fluid. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat. & Physiol.) Pertaining to, or containing, chyle; as, the lacteal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lacteal — Lac te*al, n. (Anat.) One of the lymphatic vessels which convey chyle from the small intestine through the mesenteric glands to the thoracic duct; a chyliferous vessel. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lacteal — (adj.) 1650s, formed in English from L. lacteus, from lac (gen. lactis) milk, from PIE root *glakt (see LACTATION (Cf. lactation)) + AL (Cf. al) (1) …   Etymology dictionary

  • lacteal — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ conveying milk or milky fluid. ► NOUN (lacteals) Anatomy ▪ the lymphatic vessels of the small intestine which absorb digested fats. ORIGIN Latin lacteus, from lac milk …   English terms dictionary

  • lacteal — [lak′tē əl] adj. [< L lacteus, milky < lac (see LACTO ) + AL] 1. of or like milk; milky 2. containing or carrying chyle, the milky fluid that is a product of digestion n. any of the lymphatic vessels that take up this fluid from the small… …   English World dictionary

  • lacteal — 1. Relating to or resembling milk; milky. 2. A lymphatic vessel that conveys chyle. SYN: chyle vessel, l. vessel. central l. the blindly ending lymphatic capillary in the center of an intestinal villus …   Medical dictionary

  • lacteal — lacteally, adv. /lak tee euhl/, adj. 1. pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling milk; milky. 2. Anat. conveying or containing chyle. n. 3. Anat. any of the minute lymphatic vessels that convey chyle from the small intestine to the thoracic… …   Universalium

  • lacteal — 1. adjective a) Relating to milk. ..lacteal ducts in the breasts... b) Relating to milk production. See Also: lactating, lactation 2. noun Lactiferous ducts or other components of milk producing organs …   Wiktionary

  • lacteal vessel — lacteal (def. 3) …   Medical dictionary

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