ADHESION MODELS
The intestinal mucosa
When simplified, the intestinal mucosa can be seen to
consist of three components; the intestinal epithelial cells
(enterocytes/colonocytes), the mucus overlying this epithelium,
and the mucosa-associated normal microbiota. These
compartments interact with each other in a dynamic
equilibrium. Goblet cells / which are interspersed between
the epithelial cells / produce the mucus, which is sloughed
off into the intestinal lumen. The mucus takes with it
attached microorganisms, dislodged enterocytes and cell
debris. The epithelial cells are also constantly renewed in the
villus crypts and are dislodged from the villus tip, taking
with them any attached microorganisms (6). In addition to
these three components, the innate immune system also
influences the colonization and population density of the
intestinal microbiota (33, 34), while at the same time the
microbiota has a profound influence on the immune system