home

=Epithelial Tissue Regeneration =

Introduction
Epithelial tissue is the lining, covering, and glandular tissue in the body. It lines cavaties, covers organs, makes up the skin, and forms glands. The four functions of epithelial tissue are //protection, absorbtion, filtration//, and //secretion//. Epithelium //protects// the body by forming a skin that prevents bacterial and chemical damage. The special epithelium that lines the digestive organs //absorbs// particles of food to nourish the body. The epithelium in the kidneys both //absorbs// and //filters//. Glands are made up of special epithelium that secrete substances such as perspiration, oil, digestive enzymes, and mucus.

There are three main shape types of epithelial cells:
 * squamous- scale like
 * cuboidal- cube like
 * columnar- column like
 * simple** means that there is one layer of cells ***stratified** means that there is more than one layer of cells



(photos found at [|www.stegen.k12.mo.us/.../ TissueSlides.htm])

Tissue Regeneration **

Because epithelial tissue often acts as a covering (ex. it makes up your skin), it is often damaged. As a result, epithelial tissue is always cycling between sloughing off and regenerating. For example, if you scape your knee, it is not permanently wounded. Within a few days, new epithelial cells replace those that were damaged. Epithelial cells regenerate themselves through cell division. A parent cell splits apart into two identical daughter cells. These cells, in turn, split apart to create more cells. The process continues in this fashion. [|To watch an animation of cell division to better understand the process, click here]

=Options for Treatment of Extensive Epithelial Damage=

Although epithelial tissue regenerates quickly, if an injury is too large or to deep, doctors will use other methods to accelerate the healing process. Such other methods include skin graphs, synthetic skin, and skin transplants.

Often skin grafts are used for those suffering a health condition or those who have sustained physical injury, like a severe burn. Skin grafts essentially take other skin and use it to replace the damaged skin. The undamaged skin may be from another part of the patients body, synthetic skin, or transplanted skin. Traditionally, skin grafts use skin from another part of the patient's body. This process is illustrated below:



(image found at [])

Currently, scientists are working to develop synthetic skins that will not cause an immune reaction when transplanted. Thus far, there are numerous prototypes for synthetic skin. To read more about the development of synthetic skins,[|click here].
 * //Growing Skin?!// **

Scientist are now growing skin in laboratories. To learn about this process, click on the following link to watch a video on this new scientific developement. [] In this video, you will witness, step-by-step, how scientists grow skin in petri dishes to save the life of a young burn victim. the scientists start with a small sample of healthy skin from the patient. Then they scrape off some cells and place them in nutrient broth to multiply. Next they pipette the nutrient broth and cell mixture into a petri dish were it grows into a thin piece of skin. This brand new skin is then transplanted to the places where the victim suffered severe burns.

** Current Advancements **

In a study published in the January 14th, 2009 edition of //Artificial Organs,// a journal of the International Federation for Artificial Organs, the International Faculty for Artificial Organs, and the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, researchers have found that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used to aid in growing artificial skin. Using biotechnology and bioengineering, scientists were able to add stem cells into the artificial skin. When the artificial skin, infused with stem cells, was grafted onto patients' wounds, it showed better healing, less wound contraction, and better development of blood vessels than grafts done with artificial skin lacking in stem cells. To read the original article, [|click here].