Simple columnar epithelium

Simple columnar epithelium

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 epithelium. g. Bloodvessels. h. Muscle cells cut across.

A simple columnar epithelium is a columnar epithelium that is uni-layered. In humans, a simple columnar epithelium forms a lining in the uterus and in most organs of the digestive tract including the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.

Simple columnar epithelia are further divided into two categories: nonciliated and ciliated.

Nonciliated

Nonciliated columnar epithelia do not have cilia, and are found in the gastrointestinal tract and the gallbladder where they perform secretion and absorption.

Ciliated columnar epithelia move mucus and other substances via cilia, and are found in the upper respiratory tract, the Fallopian tubes, the uterus, and the central part of the spinal cord.

Ciliated columnar epithelium lines the lumen of the uterine tube, where currents generated by the cilia propel the egg cell, toward the uterus.

v • d • e Histology: epithelial tissue
Types	Columnar (simple, stratified) - Cuboidal (simple, stratified) - Pseudostratified/Respiratory - Squamous (simple, stratified) - Transitional - Olfactory
Features	Lateral/cell-cell: Tight junction - Adherens junction - Desmosome - Gap junction Basal/cell-matrix: Basal lamina - Hemidesmosome - Focal adhesion Apical: Cilia - Microvilli - Stereocilia