Illustration of the muscle layers and blood supply of the small intestine. The small intestine is a long, complex-layered part of the gut responsible

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Illustration of the muscle layers and blood supply of the small intestine. The small intestine is a long, complex-layered part of the gut responsible for digestion and absorption of food. Internally it is lined with a mucosa of villi (small project- ions) that create a large surface area for absorp- tion of food into the blood. Externally the small intestine is covered with a serosa (here, white). Between these is a layer of inner circular muscle and outer longitudinal muscle (pink), important in moving food through the intestine by peristalsis. Food absorption into the blood occurs through an extensive network of blood vessels (red), and a lymphatic network (yellow) absorbs fats.

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Size: 4970px × 3543px
Photo credit: © JOHN BAVOSI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: anatomy, artwork, body, digestion, digestive, gut, human, intestine, lymph, small, system, villus