Passage of particles through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

In the normal process of digestion, not only substances in solution are absorbed. Solid, undissolved particles in macrocorpuscular form, are "kneaded" into the mucosa during their passage through the digestive tract. These particles in the micrometer size range pass between the epithelial cells into the subepithelial layer. From here they are transmitted both by the lymph vessels and by the mesenteric veins into the circulation, where they remain for a considerable time. This phenomenon, termed persorption, was investigated in detail.