title: Determination of villous rigidity in the distal ileum of the possum (Trichosurus vulpecula).
abstract: We investigated the passive mechanical properties of villi in ex vivo preparations of sections of the wall of the distal ileum from the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) by using a flow cell to impose physiological and supra-physiological levels of shear stress on the tips of villi. We directly determined the stress applied from the magnitude of the local velocities in the stress inducing flow and additionally mapped the patterns of flow around isolated villi by tracking the trajectories of introduced 3 µm microbeads with bright field micro particle image velocimetry (mPIV). Ileal villi were relatively rigid along their entire length (mean 550 µm), and exhibited no noticeable bending even at flow rates that exceeded calculated normal physiological shear stress (>0.5 mPa). However, movement of villus tips indicated that the whole rigid structure of a villus could pivot about the base, likely from laxity at the point of union of the villous shaft with the underlying mucosa. Flow moved upward toward the tip on the upper portions of isolated villi on the surface facing the flow and downward toward the base on the downstream surface. The fluid in sites at distances greater than 150 µm below the villous tips was virtually stagnant indicating that significant convective mixing in the lower intervillous spaces was unlikely. Together the findings indicate that mixing and absorption is likely to be confined to the tips of villi under conditions where the villi and intestinal wall are immobile and is unlikely to be greatly augmented by passive bending of the shafts of villi.
authors: Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors: Yuen Feung
authors: YF
authors: Lim
authors: Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors: Roger G
authors: RG
authors: Lentle
authors: Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors: Patrick W M
authors: PW
authors: Janssen
authors: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors: Martin A K
authors: MA
authors: Williams
authors: Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors: Clément
authors: C
authors: de Loubens
authors: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors: Bradley W
authors: BW
authors: Mansel
authors: Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Chambers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004548:Elasticity; D007082:Ileum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D048330:Trichosurus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology