Microvilli

Synonym: Small villi; finger-shaped, mostly unbranched protuberances (100-800 nm; 50-100 nm thick) of the plasma surface at the resorption pole of certain epithelial cells, e.g. enterocytes of the intestinal wall, in kidney tubules; form the so-called brush border of these epithelia; are covered by a filament layer (Glykokalix); have digestive enzymes, active transport activities (Carrier). By enlarging the cell surface, they improve absorption.