How is the mucous membrane of the esophagus renewed
Stem cells were found in the esophagus
However, so far this study has been conducted on a model with mice. But in the future, it is quite possible, according to doctors, their research will help in the creation of new methods of treating cancer of the esophagus and Barrett's esophagus – a condition that is considered precancerous.
Barrett's esophagus is one of the serious complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), when, due to the throwing of gastric or duodenal contents into the esophagus, certain sections of the esophageal epithelium are replaced by gastric or intestinal epithelium. This condition is the main cause of the appearance of malignant tumors of the esophagus and throat.
"The so-called lining of the esophagus should be regularly updated. To make this happen, the cells of the deep layers of the esophagus divide about twice a week. Until now, it was unclear whether the population of these cells is homogeneous, or whether stem cells are present there," explains the head of the study, Dr. Eric Lagasse.
Diagram from an article in Cell Reports – VM.
In their research, the authors grew pieces of mouse esophageal tissue in the laboratory, and then studied the composition of its cells in detail. They found that a small population of esophageal tissue cells gave rise to specialized cells.
"Many scientists believed that there are no stem cells in the esophagus. Our study shows that stem cells are present there and are not at rest, but divide slowly, and the rate of their division is less than the rate of division of ordinary somatic cells in the deeper layers of the esophagus," says Lagassi.
In future studies, scientists plan to find out how these stem cells behave in people with Barrett's esophagus. It is quite possible, the authors believe, that Barrett's disease, when changes in esophageal tissue occur, is associated with abnormalities in the development of stem cells.
An article on esophageal stem cells was published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Reports (D. DeWard, Julie Cramer, Eric Lagass: Cellular Heterogeneity in the Mouse Esophagus Implies the Presence of a Nonquiescent Epithelial Stem Cell Population).
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru17.10.2014