English: (A) Lacteals, or intestinal lymphatic capillaries, are located in the intestinal villi surrounded by arterial and venous capillaries. Lacteal LECs resemble initial lymphatics but they are modified for fat absorption. Dietary lipids such as fatty acids and monoglycerides enter from the gut lumen on the apical side of the enterocytes where they combine with proteins to form chylomicrons. Discontinuous junctional openings on the lacteal wall regulate chylomicron entry into the lymphatic capillary in what is thought to be an active process involving, for example, the VEGFA/VEGFR2 or DLL4/Notch signaling pathways. Once inside the lacteals, chylomicrons are transported with the lymph via the mesenteric lymph nodes and collecting vessels into the cisterna chyli and through the thoracic duct up to the venous circulation at the subclavian vein. (B) Intestinal lymphangiectasia is characterized by abnormal, enlarged, and blocked lacteals in the small intestines resulting in malabsorption. Episodes of abdominal pain and diarrhea follow fat ingestion. Diagnosis is achieved by examining the intestinal wall through endoscopy and by taking a small bowel biopsy to visualize the distended lacteals. The tortuous and dilated lacteals of the mucosa and submucosa continually leak protein-rich lymph into the bowel. Mutations in CCBE1 are known to cause intestinal lymphangiectasia in Hennekam syndrome type 1. In the lacteal transverse sections, arterial and venous capillaries have been omitted for simplicity.