Cell turnover in the normal human small intestinal mucosa

Small intestinal cell turnover was studied in 12 normal Jamaican subjects using the DNA-loss technique. The mean DNA-loss rate was 15.4 ng atoms DNA-P per minnute, representing a loss of half a million cells per minute from a 5 cm segment of duodenal mucosa or 10-60 million cells per minute from the entire small intestine. This value agrees very well with that described in the literature and suggests that at least as regards its epithelial cell dynamics, the small intestinal mucosa of the Jamaican Negro is similar to that of Europeans (AU)