Paneth cell [SEP] named after
Paneth cell
Paneth cells are a principal cell type of the small intestine epithelium, along with goblet cells, enterocytes, and enteroendocrine cells. A few may also be found sporadically in the cecum and appendix. They are identified microscopically by their location just below the intestinal stem cells in the intestinal glands (also called crypts of Lieberkühn) and the large eosinophilic refractile granules that occupy most of their cytoplasm. Paneth cells are named after Joseph Paneth (1857–1890), an Austrian physiologist.
These granules consist of several anti-
the small intestine, Paneth cells originate at the stem cell region near the bottom of the gland. However, unlike the other epithelial cell types, Paneth cells migrate "downward" from the stem cell region and settle just adjacent to it. This close relationship to the stem cell region is thought to suggest that Paneth cells are important in defending the gland stem cells from microbial damage, although their function is not entirely known. Furthermore, among the four aforementioned intestinal cell lineages, the Paneth cells live the longest (18–23 days