Microtopographic relation between the lymphatic capillaries and glands of the small intestine

Microtopographic interrelationships of the lymphatic capillaries and glands of the small intestine have been investigated taking into account new data on the diffuse endocrine system, which includes endocrine cells of the gastro-intestinal tract. An immediate contact of the lymphatic capillaries with the intestinal glands, resembling microtopographic interrelationships of the lymphatic capillaries in the endocrine glands, has been revealed in total translucent and histological preparations. A suggestion is made that the microtopographic interrelationships of the lymphatic capillaries and the intestinal glands can be regarded as a morphologic basis for absorption of hormones produced by the endocrine cells of the intestinal glands.