Collagen remodeling in inflammatory bowel disease

The intestines have one of the largest surface areas compared to any organ, primarily because by the microvilli protruding into the lumen to maximize efficient nutritional uptake. Thus, the intestinal tissue joins the lungs and skin as having the highest expression of extracellular matrix proteins in the basement membrane; type IV collagen is the most abundant collagen, and laminins are the most abundant noncollagenous protein expressed. The lamina propria is rich in interstitial matrix extracellular matrix proteins like type I, III, V, and VI collagens. Although type VI collagen is more often associated with the basement membrane, it is highly involved in fibrogenesis, especially the alpha-3 chain of type VI collagen.