Colon lining. Light micrograph of a section through the lining (mucosa) of the large intestine, or colon, showing the cells. The colon is lined with intestinal villi (finger-like projections). Villi contain crypts of Lieberkuhn, which are elongated pockets that lie in the vascular submucosa. These glands contain two types of cells: goblet cells, which secrete a lubricant into the colon which aids the movement of faeces, and absorptive columnar epithelial cells, which absorb water from the faeces.