Mucosal healing and adaptation in the small intestine.

The closely related processes of healing and adaptation in the intestinal mucosa are of substantial clinical significance in patients after injury, intestinal surgery, and inflammatory or infectious ulceration, as well as all patients who are fasting. Recent investigations demonstrate that mucosal healing and adaptation are complex processes that seem likely to be regulated by a variety of autocrine and juxtacrine growth factors as well as conventional gut peptides. Further studies of the biology of mucosal healing may permit pharmacological intervention to promote healing and adaptation in the future.