These enzymes include peptidase, sucrase, maltase, lactase and intestinal lipase.

This is in contrast to the gastric glands of the stomach where chief cells secrete pepsinogen.

Also, new epithelium is formed here, which is important because the cells at this site are continuously worn away by the passing food.

[3] Both Wnt and Notch signaling pathways play a large role in regulating cell proliferation and in intestinal morphogenesis and homeostasis.

[4] Loss of proliferation control in the crypts is thought to lead to colorectal cancer.

Trypsin can then activate other protease enzymes and catalyze the reaction pro-colipase → colipase.

[citation needed] Intestinal juice also contains hormones, digestive enzymes, mucus, substances to neutralize hydrochloric acid coming from the stomach.

In the four tissue sections shown here, many of the intestinal glands have cells with a mitochondrial DNA mutation in the CCOI gene and appear mostly white, with their main color being the blue-gray staining of the nuclei.

[7] Colonic crypts deficient for CCOI reaches, on average, 18% in women and 23% in men, by 80–84 years of age.