Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (714 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The segment of large intestine between the cecum and the rectum. It includes the ascending colon; the transverse colon; the descending colon; and the sigmoid colon.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Appendix Epiploica; Omental Appendices; Appendices, Omental; Omental Appendix; Appendix, Omental; Taenia Coli.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Intestine, Large
- Narrower topics
- Colon, Ascending; Colon, Descending; Colon, Sigmoid; Colon, Transverse
- See also
- Colectomy; Colonoscopy; Colostomy
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 80,268 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Colon” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 11,696 of them (14.6%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 35,436 records.
Reviews account for 4,826 records (6.0%) and meta-analyses for 346. Randomized controlled trials number 1,582 (2.0%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 35,436 |
| 2000-2009 | 13,790 |
| 2010-2019 | 19,346 |
| 2020 onward | 11,696 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 4,826 | 6.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 346 | 0.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,582 | 2.0% |
Method: PubMed query "Colon"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
ATF6 activation alters colonic lipid metabolism causing tumour-associated microbial adaptation [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein responses contribute to cancer development, with activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) involved in microbiota-dependent tumorigenesis.
- Closing excerpt
- We postulate chronic ATF6 signalling to select for tumour-promoting microbiota by altering lipid metabolism.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (152 words)
Endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein responses contribute to cancer development, with activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) involved in microbiota-dependent tumorigenesis. Here we show the clinical relevance of ATF6 in individuals with early-onset and late colorectal cancer, and link ATF6 signalling to changes in lipid metabolism and intestinal microbiota. Transcriptional analysis in intestinal epithelial cells of ATF6 transgenic mice (nATF6IEC) identifies bacteria-specific changes in cellular metabolism enriched for fatty acid biosynthesis. Untargeted metabolomics and isotype labelling confirm ATF6-related enrichment of long-chain fatty acids in colonic tissue of humans, mice and organoids. FASN inhibition and microbiota transfer in germ-free nATF6IEC mice confirm the causal involvement of ATF6-induced lipid alterations in tumorigenesis. The selective expansion of tumour-relevant microbial taxa, including Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis, is mechanistically linked to long-chain fatty acid exposure using bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging, and growth analysis of Desulfovibrio isolates. We postulate chronic ATF6 signalling to select for tumour-promoting microbiota by altering lipid metabolism.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40890536 · DOI · PMC12460170
Gut microbiota dysbiosis affects intestinal sensitivity through epithelium-to-neuron signaling: novel insights from a colon organoid-based model to improve visceral pain therapy [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Chronic gastrointestinal pain is a hallmark of most intestinal pathologies, yet effective treatments remain elusive given the complexity of the underlying mechanisms.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings provide novel insights into the role of gut epithelium in the modulation of sensory neuron excitability under dysbiosis conditions, emphasizing that targeting epithelial-neuronal signaling might represent a promising therapeutic strategy for visceral pain management.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (242 words)
Chronic gastrointestinal pain is a hallmark of most intestinal pathologies, yet effective treatments remain elusive given the complexity of the underlying mechanisms. Aiming to investigate the intestinal epithelium contribution to visceral pain modulation in dysbiosis context, we first demonstrated that intracolonic instillation of microbe-free fecal supernatants from mice with post-inflammatory dysbiosis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (FSDSS) provokes visceral hypersensitivity in recipient mice. Epithelium involvement in the response to FSDSS was analyzed through a novel in vitro approach comprising murine epithelial colon organoids and primary dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. FSDSS treatment induced growth and metabolic impairment in colon organoids, which revealed a dysbiosis-driven epithelial dysfunction. Notably, the combination of FSDSS and conditioned medium from FSDSS-treated colon organoids induced an increase in DRG neuron intrinsic excitability, along with greater immunoreactivity to c-Fos and calcitonin-gene related peptide, implicating an integrated role of both microbial and epithelial products in visceral sensitivity regulation. By investigating the underlying signaling, metabolomic analysis revealed reduced levels of short chain fatty acids in FSDSS, such as butyrate, acetate, valerate, and propionate. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis of FSDSS-treated colon organoids showed the dysregulated expression of several signaling factors by which intestinal epithelium may modulate sensory neuron excitability, including proteases, cytokines, neuromodulators, growth factors, and hormones. These findings provide novel insights into the role of gut epithelium in the modulation of sensory neuron excitability under dysbiosis conditions, emphasizing that targeting epithelial-neuronal signaling might represent a promising therapeutic strategy for visceral pain management.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40903878 · DOI · PMC12413070
Intrinsic chicory root fibers modulate colonic microbial butyrate-producing pathways and improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with obesity [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Type 2 diabetes and obesity have become major public health concerns.
- Closing excerpt
- gov (NCT04714944).
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (172 words)
Type 2 diabetes and obesity have become major public health concerns. Growing evidence suggests that increased dietary fiber intake, through its interaction with the gut microbiota, may help prevent these diseases. Here, we demonstrate in a 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial in individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes that intake of an intrinsic fiber product, consisting of entire plant cells, tended to improve peripheral insulin sensitivity (p = 0.085), increased whole-body insulin sensitivity (p = 0.032), reduced circulating triglycerides (p = 0.049), and tended to reduce intrahepatic lipid content (p = 0.063), along with an increased proportion of small adipocytes (p = 0.008). Phylogenetic and metagenomic analysis revealed that these outcomes coincided with increased levels of fiber-degrading Bifidobacterium spp. and butyrate-producing Anaerostipes spp. and a functional shift toward a distal butyrogenic trophic chain while the best responding individuals had increased levels of pectin degraders that may produce propionate. Our findings demonstrate the pivotal role of slowly fermented, intrinsic plant cell fibers in improving cardiometabolic health. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04714944).
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40669445 · DOI · PMC12281436
Tissue and cellular spatiotemporal dynamics in colon aging [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Tissue structure and molecular circuitry in the colon can be profoundly impacted by systemic age-related effects but many of the underlying molecular cues remain unclear.
- Closing excerpt
- Our multimodal framework for the investigation of cell and tissue organization can aid in the understanding of cellular roles in tissue-level pathology.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (148 words)
Tissue structure and molecular circuitry in the colon can be profoundly impacted by systemic age-related effects but many of the underlying molecular cues remain unclear. Here, we build a cellular and spatial atlas of the colon across three anatomical regions and 11 age groups, encompassing ~1,500 mouse gut tissues profiled by spatial transcriptomics and ~400,000 single nucleus RNA-sequencing profiles. We develop a computational framework, cSplotch, which learns a hierarchical Bayesian model of spatially resolved cellular expression associated with age, tissue region and sex by leveraging histological features to share information across tissue samples and data modalities. Using this model, we identify cellular and molecular gradients along the adult colonic tract and across the main crypt axis and multicellular programs associated with aging in the large intestine. Our multimodal framework for the investigation of cell and tissue organization can aid in the understanding of cellular roles in tissue-level pathology.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41125832 · DOI · PMC13461361
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Elective Colorectal Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society Recommendations: 2018 [5]
- Research article Colonocyte metabolism shapes the gut microbiota [6]
- Research article The microbiome and gut homeostasis [7]
- Research article Ulcerative Colitis [8]
- Research article Polyphenols-Gut Microbiota Interrelationship: A Transition to a New Generation of Prebiotics [9]
- Research article ASGE Technology Committee systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the ASGE PIVI thresholds for adopting real-time endoscopic assessment of the histology of diminutive colorectal polyps [10]
References
- Coleman OI, Sorbie A, Riva A, von Stern M, Kuhls S, Selegato DM, et al.. ATF6 activation alters colonic lipid metabolism causing tumour-associated microbial adaptation. . 2025. PMID 40890536 · DOI · PMC12460170
- Margiotta F, Lucarini E, Toti A, Curti L, Masi A, Mello T, et al.. Gut microbiota dysbiosis affects intestinal sensitivity through epithelium-to-neuron signaling: novel insights from a colon organoid-based model to improve visceral pain therapy. . 2025. PMID 40903878 · DOI · PMC12413070
- Omary L, Canfora EE, Puhlmann ML, Gavriilidou A, Rijnaarts I, Holst JJ, et al.. Intrinsic chicory root fibers modulate colonic microbial butyrate-producing pathways and improve insulin sensitivity in individuals with obesity. . 2025. PMID 40669445 · DOI · PMC12281436
- Daly AC, Cambuli F, Äijö T, Lötstedt B, Marjanovic ND, Fernandez S, et al.. Tissue and cellular spatiotemporal dynamics in colon aging. . 2026. PMID 41125832 · DOI · PMC13461361
- Gustafsson UO, Scott MJ, Hubner M, Nygren J, Demartines N, Francis N, et al.. Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Elective Colorectal Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Society Recommendations: 2018. World J Surg. 2019. PMID 30426190 · DOI
- Litvak Y, Byndloss MX, Bäumler AJ. Colonocyte metabolism shapes the gut microbiota. Science. 2018. PMID 30498100 · DOI · PMC6296223
- Lee JY, Tsolis RM, Bäumler AJ. The microbiome and gut homeostasis. Science. 2022. PMID 35771903 · DOI
- Feuerstein JD, Moss AC, Farraye FA. Ulcerative Colitis. Mayo Clin Proc. 2019. PMID 31272578 · DOI
- Plamada D, Vodnar DC. Polyphenols-Gut Microbiota Interrelationship: A Transition to a New Generation of Prebiotics. Nutrients. 2021. PMID 35011012 · DOI · PMC8747136
- ASGE Technology Committee, Abu Dayyeh BK, Thosani N, Konda V, Wallace MB, Rex DK, et al.. ASGE Technology Committee systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the ASGE PIVI thresholds for adopting real-time endoscopic assessment of the histology of diminutive colorectal polyps. Gastrointest Endosc. 2015. PMID 25597420 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.